KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Knox County Health Department tested hundreds of people for COVID-19 at the Civic Coliseum in Knoxville on Saturday.
This was the first free testing event in the East Knoxville zip code, bringing necessary care to people who live in that area.
The health department is addressing the issue of testing inequality and making sure families have access to tests regardless of where they live.
The Sunzu family is included in that. They moved from East Africa to East Knoxville four years ago.
The family of seven was able to get tested for COVID-19 completely free of charge on Saturday, which is something they weren't able to access before.
"Before, our care, maybe is very really hard," the father of the Sunzu family said. "After taking the test, it's not really hard. I trust and we know what's going on after my test."
The testing site was only about four minutes from where they live, which was much more easily accessible than previous testing sites.
The Knox County Health Department announced Thursday the free testing for Saturday would be near the 37915 zip code in Knoxville because there have been testing inequalities in that area.
"Because when we looked at our data, and the people we had tested, we hadn't tested anyone from that zip code," Dr. Martha Buchanan, the director of KCHD said. "We also looked at cases as well, so we think it's an important move we'll continue to do that. We'll continue to use our data to help us make decisions about where we should test."
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The department said it recognizes the health disparities depending on where people live, their race and even income. But, this was one effort to make healthcare more available to those groups.
"Your zipcode, your income, your education or race shouldn't affect your health, but we know it does," Charity Menefee, Director of Communicable and Environmental Disease and Emergency Preparedness at KCHD, said.
Meanwhile, families like the Sunzus, have peace of mind knowing each family member got a test.
"[Be]cause everyone needs to survive you know," Sunzu nodded.
For those who were tested at the Saturday event, KCHD said in a release:
"All those tested will need to self-isolate at least until results are available, longer if the test is positive. When KCHD notifies a patient of their results, KCHD team members will provide guidance to the patient on next steps."
To view more testing sites, visit the Knox County Health Department's website, or click here.