__________________
______________________________
__________________
______________________________
Sen. Bob Archuleta (D-Pico Rivera)
February 17, 2021
The GUARDaHEART Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization is working with the City of Pico Rivera and Senator Bob Archuleta of the 32nd District to make critical no cost COVID-19 antibody testing available to the City and its surrounding areas. These serology antibody tests are approved for emergency use by the FDA and are an important diagnostic tool in the fight against Covid-19.
The COVID-19 Antibody Testing Community Event Will Be Held at Pico Park, 9528 Beverly Blvd., Pico Rivera CA on February 17, 18, and 19, 2021 from 9 a.m. to 4p.m. (enter through Beverly Blvd.)
The no-cost community event is not for those who are actively showing signs or symptoms of COVID-19 (these individuals need to work with health care providers to schedule a swab test, which is a different procedure). This event is for asymptomatic people who believe they have been exposed to the coronavirus or have had symptoms in the past but have not been tested.
The antibody test detects the presence of IgG antibody response, which indicates past COVID-19 infections. It lets the participants and health care providers know if the person being tested has an immunity to the coronavirus or if they have developed an immune response to the virus. If the result is positive, it means the person has been infected with the COVID-19 pathogen in the past. This does NOT mean that they are immune to COVID-19, especially, in the context of recent viral mutations. Experts are not yet sure if prior COVID-19 infection confers immunity to new strains.
Attendees MUST bring proof of health insurance if they have medical insurance. Health insurance companies are required to pay under the CARES Act. Individuals who do not have health insurance, will not be turned away or charged for these tests.
Predictive Health Diagnostics Co. supplies grant funding to GUARDaHEART allowing them to provide community outreach events in a safe, no cost and effective way.
Guests of all ages are welcome to come to the event for the no-cost COVID-19 antibody testing. Those between ages 1 and 17 years old must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian to receive a COVID-19 serology antibody blood test. Testing is done only on those who are asymptomatic and who have passed a temperature check.
These tests will be performed with a trained phlebotomist (a healthcare professional trained to draw blood). The testing is completely confidential. Results are available within five business days following all HIPAA compliance requirements. GUARDaHEART’s most recent no cost antibody test event in the City of Whittier, located in Senator Bob Archuleta 32nd District, tested over 1,400 people in three days.
Dr. Douglas S. Harrington, Chairman of the GUARDaHEART Foundation and Fellow of the American Society of Preventive Cardiology and the American Society of Clinical Pathology comments that the tests are important for both individuals and the community as a whole. “Antibody tests in the community allow us to closely monitor current infection rates and are an important tool in the fight against COVID-19,” he says. “When individuals are aware of their antibody status, they have an important key piece of information about their health which helps individuals make life-saving decisions,” said Harrington.
“As we move to a higher vaccination rate, antibody tests offer critical information that allows us to track our success in getting our recent spike of infections under control and in beating the virus.”
GUARDaHEART’s mission is to learn, detect and prevent. Estrella Harrington, Founder of GUARDaHEART added that “No cost testing is a critically important part of our fight against Covid-19. The No Cost COVID-19 Antibody Test events are important because we believe everyone should have access to affordable antibody testing.
Senator Bob Archuleta, Senate District 32 said, “The City of Pico Rivera and its surrounding regions are working hard to battle COVID-19 infections. Antibody testing is a critically important diagnostic tool for our community as they help us track infection rates, distribution of infection and exposure to COVID-19. I urge those who think they may have been exposed to the virus in the past and who are asymptomatic to come to this important event and get tested.”
To register for the upcoming event in The City of Pico Rivera and find additional testing opportunities throughout Southern California, visit www.GUARDaHEART.org.
GUARDaHEART is actively working with businesses, non-profits and community organizations in Los Angeles, Orange, and San Bernardino counties to provide additional, No-cost COVID-19 antibody testing to the public.
