Family Health Centers of San Diego, which operates community clinics in low-income neighborhoods, is launching pop-up COVID-19 testing sites at four locations across the county.
Anyone who is already a patient of Family Health Centers and 12 years or older can receive a test, even if they are asymptomatic. The testing sites will rotate among locations in Chula Vista, El Cajon and two San Diego neighborhoods.
San Diego County officials last week recommended testing be expanded to members of "racial/ethnic groups" as well as other vulnerable communities, regardless of symptoms. The four Family Health Centers testing sites are located in areas with large Hispanic populations and El Cajon is home to a growing community of Middle Eastern immigrants.
Patients don't need appointments for the testing, but the locations can only conduct about 150 tests each day, said Family Health Centers spokesman Anthony White.
Testing in Chula Vista begins Monday and concludes Friday. It'll then move to the Diamond Neighborhoods Family Health Center followed by the El Cajon Family Health Center and then the Logan Heights Family Health Center.
Also on Monday, Family Health Centers will participate in the first meeting of the county's laboratory testing task force. San Diego County Public Health Officer Dr. Wilma Wooten said last week the committee will examine how to further increase testing at facilities across the region.
"Key objectives to date include identifying gaps and opportunities for increasing laboratory testing at the county, hospital laboratories as well as federally qualified health laboratories to achieve the region's testing capacity," Wooten said Thursday.
The group will meet at least two additional times on Wednesday and Friday.
