Governor Cuomo, Joined by Savannah Mayor Van R. Johnson, Announces New York State to Establish Two Church Testing Sites in Savannah COVID-19 Hotspots

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that New York State will establish two testing sites in COVID-19 Hotspots in Savannah, Georgia. The sites, located in Temple of Glory Community Church and Kingdom Life Christian Fellowship, will provide up to 500 tests per day. Both sites are located in highly-impacted minority communities. The governor made today's announcement with Savannah Mayor Van R. Johnson, II.

"When New York State fought what was, at the time, the nation's worst COVID-19 spike, states throughout the country generously provided badly-needed supplies, resources and personnel, and we promised that as the virus continued to spread, we'd return the favor," Governor Cuomo said. "That time is here now, and as part of New York State's ongoing commitment to helping cities and states throughout the nation, we're glad to be able to provide two testing sites for highly-impacted minority communities in the great city of Savannah, and I thank our hospital partners for providing the expertise to so quickly make this vision a reality."

"Savannah has resolved to follow the science in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, our steadfastness remains today with this exciting new partnership with New York State, which will expand testing capacity and PPE supplies in our community," said Mayor Van R. Johnson, II. "I'm grateful to Governor Cuomo and his team for graciously partnering to help us fight back against this devastating virus."

The sites were created with expertise and resources from SOMOS Community Care and Northwell Health. New York State will also provide the following supplies:

• 124,000 Surgical Masks (50 cases)
• 7,500 VTM Test Kits
• 7,500 Gowns
• 11,500 Gloves
• 7,500 N95 Masks
• 7,500 Face Shields
• 2.5 Pallets of Styrofoam Coolers
• 1,250 Gallons of Hand Sanitizer

Michael Dowling, president and CEO of Northwell Health, New York’s largest health care provider, said, "COVID-19 tested our mettle here in New York and thanks to the strong leadership of Governor Cuomo, we are in a much better place today. We also owe a debt of gratitude to those who continue to work the front lines and make sacrifices for the greater good. It takes a unified front, which is why we are happy to work with the governor again to pay it forward and send our clinicians to assist in Georgia and Houston. We hope our first-hand experience with this novel virus can help limit the ongoing spread of COVID-19.”

Dr. Ramon Tallaj, Chairman and Founder of SOMOS Community Care, said, "We are proud to stand with Governor Cuomo to continue the effort to increase access to testing, especially in vulnerable communities across the country. Our experience catering to the unique needs of diverse populations in New York City will be an asset to Savannah's efforts, and we look forward to our partnership with Mayor Johnson as we continue to fight this deadly disease."

Prior to the announcement, Governor Cuomo and the New York State team shared New York's best practices with Mayor Johnson and the Savannah health care team in a meeting, and the work between the two teams will continue.

New York has created and implemented a comprehensive strategy to stop the spread and save lives, and the state government shares the strategy with other cities and states around the country. The strategy includes:

• Testing
• Tracing
• Hospital Capacity
• PPE and Medical Equipment
• Staffing
• Regional Coordination (with neighboring states)
• Masks and Social Distancing
• Phased, Data-Driven Reopening

The Savannah testing sites add to New York State's commitment to helping other cities and states fight COVID-19 across the country. Last Thursday, Governor Cuomo announced that New York State has established two church testing sites in COVID-19 hotspots in Houston, Texas. On July 13, Governor Cuomo announced New York State will send testing and contract tracing teams to Atlanta, Georgia. On July 10, Governor Cuomo announced New York State would send the COVID-19 medication Remdesivir to Florida as the state struggles with a resurgence of cases.