Top 5 CORE Georgia Highlights of 2020

CORE Starts COVID-19 Relief Operations in Atlanta

On April 30, in partnership with The Arthur M. Blank Foundation, CORE began operating a free drive-through testing site at the Home Depot Backyard at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. On May 4, the organization opened an additional testing site in partnership with Project South at the Mutual Air Liberation Center. On May 26, CORE transitioned to operating one fixed testing site in Alpharetta and six mobile units in partnership with Fulton County and Fulton County Board of Health. In late summer, we added an additional mobile unit in Fulton County.

CORE Georgia Expands COVID-19 Relief Operations

CORE worked to expand across the Greater Atlanta area, partnering with local foundations as well as several Fulton County government groups. Our first collaboration with Fulton County was the “Test & Vote” initiative, to bring mobile COVID-19 test sites to local polling places, strategically positioned to encourage voters to get tested. Then we successfully launched a mobile testing model in the county to take testing to the communities and increase accessibility to vulnerable populations. 

We opened up a pop-up testing site in Savannah, Ga., Hall County, on Buford Highway, and in Clarkston, Ga. We also traveled outside of Georgia to Washington, D.C. and North Carolina to provide pop-up testing. In June CORE Georgia opened our headquarters in Alpharetta, at 4700 N. Point Pkwy. Alpharetta, GA 30022, which now serves as a permanent community test site. 

In late July, we launched CORE’s first ever Strike Team — a mobile unit designed to travel outside Fulton County to neighboring counties including Gwinnett, Cobb and Douglas, and DeKalb counties, and eventually neighboring states, to train local staff to run testing operations in their communities to help stop the spread of COVID-19. 

CORE is proud to record that since late April, we have administered nearly 300,000 free tests at two fixed and 12 mobile test sites, across five counties within Georgia. 

CORE Georgia Provides COVID-19 Relief Services to Vulnerable Populations

CORE specifically targets underserved, hard-to-reach, and under-resourced populations with holistic relief when disasters strike. Our Georgia operations focus on serving vulnerable communities including ethnic / cultural groups in the African American, Asian, Cauasian, Latinx, and Refugee/Immigrant communities. This year, we also targeted subgroups of carriers of K-12 and college-aged students, the elderly community, essential workers, the homeless/transient community, and the LGBTQ+ community. In September, we added a community outreach and mobilization unit to deepen engagement and advance CORE’s community-centric goals in these communities.

CORE Georgia Garners Government Funding

With a $3-million grant from the Fulton County Board of Health, CORE entered into its first government funded partnership with Fulton County to provide streamlined testing, contact tracing, and supported wraparound services through the remainder of 2020. This partnership would help Fulton County achieve its goal of 1 million tests within the County by the end of 2020. CORE Georgia also secured millions of dollars in funding from the Fulton County Board of Health and the City of Atlanta to provide COVID relief to recovery support with contact tracing and resource coordination to engage hard-to-reach COVID-positive patients in Fulton County.

CORE Georgia Diversifies Services

In addition to the provision of COVID-19 tests throughout metropolitan Atlanta and Georgia as a whole, CORE’s services have expanded considerably since operations started in Georgia. In September, the contact tracing unit launched a community case investigation team. This team is responsible for in-home wellness checks for those who have tested positive for the virus, conducting basic public health inquiries and connecting individuals with free essential public health services and resources. In addition, CORE Georgia has been coupling free flu vaccination services with free COVID-19 testing at select locations and offering free HIV testing through partners Empowerment Resource Center since October, increasing the convenience factor for individuals and adding to the efficiency CORE uses to support vulnerable populations.

It is crucial for the community to take extreme precautions and follow CDC safety protocols to help halt the spread, especially as the numbers are spiking. 

• Follow social distancing and sanitation guidelines
• Wear a mask at all times in public
• Isolate when possible 

Even if you aren’t experiencing symptoms, GET TESTED (and re-tested)!

You received this newsletter because you are a member of the Greater Atlanta community.

As we expand our efforts throughout Georgia, we rely on the generosity of our supporters to ensure as many state residents, including those in uninsured, undocumented, and underserved communities, as possible have access to testing.

If you would like to support CORE’s COVID-19 relief efforts, please consider making a donation. Any amount you can afford is welcome.

Thank you for your generosity. 

Text CORE to 707070 to Donate 
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