LEWISTON – Community Clinical Services, a fitness center affiliated with St. Mary’s Health System, has earned nearly $330,000 to expand COVID-19’s testing capabilities, according to a joint report through US Sen. Susan Collins and US Senator King Angus.
Local officials say the investment will help make certain checks fair to those of COVID-19 and can lead to a more permanent control site in the winter.
The funding provided a $4.7 million allocation for 18 network gyms across Maine. Community Clinical Services operates the B-Street Health Center on Birch Street, as well as CCS Family Health Care on Campus Avenue and CCS Pediatrics on Sabattus Street.
The Birch Street Clinic is the closest hub to the Tree Streets network in downtown Lewiston, and organized an appointmentless occasion for the immigrant network last weekend.
The verification was organized through a local working group created for Mainer’s new network after the publication of figures that appeared to have been positive for COVID-19 at a rate more than 20 times higher than white citizens, giving Maine the worst racial disparity. positive cases in any state in the country.
Coleen Elias, Acting Executive Director of Community Clinical Services, said CCS will use cash over the next year “to expand our ability to equitably provide COVID-19 testing, to administer follow-up care for positive cases and close contact exposures, and to acquire equipment, tissues for patient education, and materials directly similar to COVID-19 detection and coordination.”
He said the organization was “extremely grateful” for receiving federal investment in its local reaction to the pandemic.
“In addition, we are looking for tactics to expand a more permanent verification site option that allows us to provide a safe position to check the winter months,” he said. “The investment will also allow us to offer overtime screening without an appointment, adding more clinics on Saturdays to ensure that we meet the wishes of the network we serve.
He said the investment for the maximum non-appointment checkup event did not come from the federal grant, but said that once received, “our ability to provide more clinics on Saturdays for greater and more convenient access.”
Mayor Mark Cayer said Monday that since the start of the pandemic, officials have been involved in the downtown suburb, given the density of the neighborhood. He claimed that any outbreak of COVID-19 in the city centre would “disproportionately represent a giant population of our black residents.”
He said the city had worked with local organizations to “better identify tactics to prevent the spread of community” and is now concerned about efforts to exercise touch markers.
“We continue to advocate with CDC to enable local citizens in some of our communities to be trained and funded as touch plotters, we have provided more investment to local organizations working with the center’s citizens, and lately we are identifying tactics to provide investment for education. “he said.
According to Collins and King’s press release, the investment was made through the PayCheck Protection Program and the Health Care Improvement Act, which was enacted on April 24.
The law awarded $52.7 million for the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, $4.7 million for 18 Maine Community Health Centers and nearly $2 million for 39 rural fitness clinics in Maine for COVID-19 screening.
“Community Clinical Services provides high-quality health care to many seniors and low-income families throughout Androscoggin and Cumberland counties,” Collins and King said in a joint statement. “This important funding will support the health center’s ongoing efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic through increased testing and tracing.”
Community Clinical Services, a federally qualified gym, provides medical, behavioral and pediatric dental services to the citizens of Lewiston, Auburn, Durham, Sabattus, Wales, Lisbon, Lisbon Falls, Poland, Minot, Mechanic Falls and New Gloucester.
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