In this week’s coronavirus update with Southwest Health System staff, KSJD speaks with Lindsay Yeager, community relations manager, about collaborating with the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe to offer testing in Towaoc for all tribal members.
The tribe has been offering testing to any tribal member, including those showing no symptoms, outside of the Towaoc Recreation Center a couple of days each week.
Note: Southwest Health System is an underwriter of KSJD.
Chairman Manuel Heart has been encouraging members in his recent addresses to get tested. The tribe has enough test kits to get a more accurate look at the spread of the coronavirus, in contrast to the majority of sites in the country, including at SHS’s drive-up site, that require some symptoms and other criteria.
And to assist in increasing capacity for performing those tests, SHS staff will begin helping out in Towaoc next week.
Yeager said the tribe will provide the test kits and SHS will provide the additional staffing support and its experience with drive-up testing.
“The more testing, the better,” Yeager said. “And any way that we can help participate in that we’re happy to do.”
Hear Yeager’s full interview with KSJD below.