A government nurse poses holds a test tube to collect samples from a person and carry out the coronavirus test on April 27, 2020 in Grañen, Huesca, Spain. Image by Alvaro Calvo/Getty Images

By Molly Boigon May 8, 2020

UJA-Federation of New York and Brightpoint Health, a community health center, are offering COVID-19 testing in schools and a playground in Brooklyn and the Bronx starting Friday.

The testing is by appointment only, and patients must be showing symptoms and have a temperature above 100.5 degrees, or must be essential workers.

“Testing is a critical part of our community response against COVID-19 and we are grateful to UJA-Federation for their support,” said Anne Kauffman Nolon, the CEO of Hudson River Health Care, which runs Brightpoint Health, in a press release.

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Testing is available for free to all New Yorkers, according to the state health department, but it can be hard to find a testing site, and testing as stay-at-home orders begin to relax and expire nationally, more testing is seen as crucial to avoid a second series of outbreaks.

The state averages 22,435 tests per day, and about 14% come back positive. By the time the state’s stay-at-home orders are set to expire, on May 15, it should be conducting 112,802 tests per day, according to experts cited by NPR, which has compiled this data for each state.

The testing is being held at The Alpha School in Brooklyn on May 8, 11, 12, 13 and 14, and at the Goble Playground in the Bronx on May 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22.

Testing is available from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

UJA has allocated more than $44 million to coronavirus causes, including health and human services organizations and Jewish Community Centers.

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According to tax filings, UJA generated more than $286 million in revenue and spent $153 million on grants in 2018.

There are 28 public and private labs in New York that can process COVID-19 tests from a wide range of providers, including clinics like Brightpoint and hospitals.

Molly Boigon is an investigative reporter at the Forward. Contact her at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter @MollyBoigon

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