The African American Health Program has released two additional videos, each featuring a local media personality, in its campaign to urge the African American community to get tested for COVID-19.
Comedian and WPGC 95.5-FM host Joe Clair along with Fox 5 Morning News anchor (and county resident) Wisdom Martin both talk about the need to “Don’t Stress, Take the Test,” the campaign’s tagline.
“Everybody’s ready to go back outside and play,” Clair says in one video, referring to the arrival of spring weather. “What about knowing your [COVID-19] status?”
“We’ve all been affected by the pandemic and COVID-19 continues to be a significant health concern in our communities,” adds Martin’s message. “It’s still vital to get checked, especially if you haven’t been vaccinated.”
Like the first three videos released in beginning in March, it was produced for AAHP by the Silver Spring-based Fit Fathers Foundation’s, whose mission is to help men with nutrition and other health issues.
The organization also is a partner with the Department of Health and Human Services, “specifically to help the Black and African American residents in the county utilize more of the free COVID-19 resources that they are offering, because traditionally, we have not been doing so,” founder and executive director Kimatni Rawlins said at the time of the first release.
The data demonstrate that the Black community is more at risk from contracting and dying from the virus, so AAHP has set up a series of free testing sites around the county and began offering testing in November.
By visiting a site and taking a free test, clients also receive a bag of groceries, school supplies, a COVID-19 swag box with masks, gloves, hand sanitizer, digital thermometer and more, along with an opportunity to preregister for the county’s vaccine program.
Screenshot from AAHP video