A Lafayette medical center has formed a medical advisory task force to take on covid-19 underlying issues that foster ethnic and cultural disparities.
The Lafayette Consolidated Government has acquired the support of the Louisiana Cardiovascular and Limb Salvage Center’s club which is some 3,000 members strong.
LCLSC Chief of cardiovascular and thoracic surgery and endovascular surgery, Dr. David Allie says the task force has been created out necessity to provide access to resources including covid-19 testing.
“We need it be properly given to all categories of patients and has been identified as one o of the deficiencies in the African American population disparities of testing and health care delivery. This is one of the major initiatives that we are starting,” Dr. Allie said.
The other kind of testing that many facilities are following is contact tracing.
Contact testing is the act of identifying who a covid-19 positive person has had contact with over a certain period of time.
Some people fear contact tracing violates privacy.
“This is a crisis. This is unprecedented times and who you have been in contact with is generally your friend or especially your family member. It’s important information,” Allie noted.
Dr. Allie says there’s funding out there for communities who can point needs and supply data information.
“The disparities in health care are great. They go from heart disease to diabetes to stroke not just covid “
Many health experts believe testing, awareness and collecting information are all tools that can help fight the spread.
“Will there be the potential of people taking advantage. We cant stop that but the risks and the benefits far out way that,” Dr. Allie added.
Drive-thru free covid-19 testing available for anyone at the Allie & Patlota Center on Wilson Street in the Oil Center:
May 19 and May 21, Tuesday and Thursday from 1:00pm to 4:00pm and Friday May 22 at 9:00am to 12:00pm.
