June 30, 2020
PrimaryOne Health Joins National Study to Assess Impact of COVID-19 on Racial, Ethnic and Underserved Communities
PrimaryOne Health and Buckeye Health Plan to offer drive through and walk up screening at no cost in Columbus
Columbus, Ohio – PrimaryOne Health has been selected as a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) to participate in a national research study that will offer COVID-19 PCR testing and antibody testing to confirm rates of current and previous COVID-19 infections among racial, ethnic and under-served communities.
As part of the study, PrimaryOne Health and Buckeye Health Plan are offering drive through and walk up COVID-19 screenings at no cost in Columbus. Beginning June 30, testing will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on a first-come, first-served basis on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at the following locations:
PrimaryOne Health – West Broad Street Location
2300 West Broad Street
Columbus, OH 43204
PrimaryOne Health – Agler Road Location
3433 Agler Road
Columbus, OH 43219
This testing is made possible by Buckeye Health Plan and its parent company Centene, a leading multi-national healthcare enterprise. The national study is being conducted by the National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF), an independent research and educational organization dedicated to ensuring high-risk racial and ethnic populations receive optimal healthcare.
Once testing is complete, Centene and NMQF will convene a team of researchers to analyze and translate survey data and, based on the findings, provide valuable data and evidence-based solutions to inform the public health response and help reduce healthcare disparities among underserved populations
Those who test positive for COVID-19 will receive a monitoring kit and a daily call from practitioners for the first 14 days to provide medical advice and help monitor any progression of symptoms, followed by once-per-week calls for one month.
Recent research shows COVID-19 is disproportionately impacting racial and ethnic populations and other underserved communities. Nationally, African Americans are dying from the virus at nearly three times the rate of white Americans, and in Ohio, African Americans account for 26% of all COVID-19 cases, 31% of hospitalizations, and 17% of deaths. However, African Americans only make up about 13% of Ohio’s population. Further, Latinos make up 3.9% of the Ohio population, but account for 6% of the state’s positive COVID-19 cases and 5% of its hospitalizations.
“COVID-19 is hitting racial and ethnic populations hard in Ohio, which is why we want to do everything we can to help underserved communities get the testing and care they need to fight this devastating virus,” said Charleta B. Tavares, CEO, PrimaryOne Health. “Our mission is to provide access to services that improve the health status of families, including people experiencing financial, social and cultural barriers to healthcare.”
“COVID-19’s devastating impact on Ohio’s underserved population requires immediate actions,” said Steve Province, Buckeye Health Plan President and CEO. “As part of our commitment to improving the health of our community, together with PrimaryOne Health, we hope to increase access to COVID-19 testing and provide important data and evidence-based solutions to improve health disparities.”
About PrimaryOne Health
PrimaryOne Health is a nonprofit Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) serving central Ohio through 12 strategically placed clinical sites since 1997. Working to provide access to services to improve the health status of families, PrimaryOne Health offers comprehensive primary care, OB-GYN, pediatric, vision, dental, behavioral health and specialty care services to over 48,000 patients. PrimaryOne Health is a proud member of the Ohio Association of Community Health Centers (OACHC) and the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC). For more information about PrimaryOne Health and its programs, go to primaryonehealth.org.
About Buckeye Health Plan
Buckeye Health Plan offers managed healthcare for Ohioans on Medicaid, Medicare, integrated Medicaid-Medicare (called MyCare Ohio) and the Health Insurance Exchange. Since 2004, Buckeye has been dedicated to improving the health of Ohioans, many with low incomes, by providing coordinated healthcare and other essential supports that individuals and families need to grow and thrive. Follow Buckeye on Twitter @Buckeye_Health and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/BuckeyeHealthPlan. Buckeye is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Centene Corporation, a leading multi-national healthcare enterprise offering core Medicaid, Medicare and specialty services.