https://www.change.org/p/andrew-m-cuomo-covid-19-testing-at-the-five-towns-community-center (Click link to read and sign petition!)
Friends of the Five Towns,
RE: FREE COVID-19 Testing at the Five Towns Community Center
The COVID-19 virus has been devastating the Five Towns resulting in sickness and death effecting our friends, relatives and neighbors. The Coronavirus is spreading at an alarming rate throughout the Five Towns Community, to the extent that we are now considered a hot spot. As a community, we need to act aggressively and decisively to protect all of our residents.
The latest news is that the Virus disproportionately affects the poor, the Immigrants and African America population. Inwood’s population is comprised of over 60% Immigrants, has a large historic African American population and is the poorest town on Long Island. Inwood, the hamlet that abuts Queens, is our first line of defense against Covid-19 from further infiltrating the Five Towns from the heavily populated and infected areas to our west.
In our battle against the Covid-19 virus, testing is a key weapon in our arsenal. Expanding testing efforts will identify those who have virus antibodies, those who are positive with virus symptoms, and perhaps most important, identifying neighbors who may be asymptomatic and further spreading this deadly scourge. Widely expanded testing will provide health professionals with the critical data required to plan aggressive treatment and mitigation strategy.
Governor Cuomo announced five new testing facilities in the boroughs of NYC. County Executive Laura Curran has announced partnering with medical centers in Elmont, Freeport, Hempstead, Oceanside, Roosevelt and Westbury. We commend all these efforts to increase testing but highlight the fact that we need a testing site in the Five Towns.
The Five Towns Community Center, the oldest Community Center in the State just celebrated our 113th anniversary. It’s has a storied history of serving the people of the Five Towns. After Sandy we distributed over 2,000 Kosher meals, distributed water and other essentials a day to the Five Towns and the surrounding area. We were proud to be part of the recovery and want to be part of the solution today.
The Community Center would like to be the next Free COVID-19 testing location in the Town of Hempstead, The County of Nassau and the State of New York. The Center is a place where our most vulnerable residents will feel comfortable. It is within reach of the population that has transportation issues.
In order to stop and defeat COVID-19 we need to do this now.
If you agree with this initiative and want to help: Kindly sign and date this petition to show your support for this endeavor.