A new mobile clinic that offers free testing for COVID-19 and other infectious diseases has opened in Los Angeles’ Chinatown this week.
The unit, currently parked at the Chinese Confucius School, was launched by the Chinatown Service Center (CSC) through federal funds and a $200,000 grant from the Neighborhood Builder Bank of America.
While the clinic primarily aims to reach underserved communities — including Chinese and Latinx Americans — anyone can come to get tested.
“In 15 minutes and 10 seconds we will get the results for influenza A, influenza B and for COVID,” nurse practitioner Lisa Tran told ABC7 News.
Staff at the site reportedly ask for insurance and identification, but they are not required to get tested.
“The idea is to give information with or without symptoms because as you know the pandemic is raging,” Dr. Felix Aguilar, who heads the clinic, told ABC7 News.
Established in 1971, CSC has become one of the largest community-based Chinese-American health and human service organizations in Southern California.
Aside from community health services, CSC provides social services, youth services and economic development services, which total over 100,000 visits every year.
CSC’s services are available in several Chinese dialects, including Cantonese, Mandarin, Toishan and Chiu Jou, as well as other languages such as Vietnamese and Spanish.
The COVID-19 testing clinic is open from Monday to Friday, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. A second unit is expected to open in the west San Gabriel Valley.
CSC also plans to administer vaccines through the mobile clinics when available. So far, they have administered at least 400 through other channels.
“Our ability to shift the mobile clinic from testing to vaccines will be a quick shift,” CSC Clinical Director Jack Cheng told SCNG. “All of our staff are familiar with the vaccine administration and we would do it regularly, whether it’s flu or other vaccines.”
Feature Image via Chinatown Service Center
