STL Treasurer Jones extends hiatus on parking tickets
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St. LouiS AmericAn The
CAC Audited APRIL 23 – 29, 2020
92 years serving, empowering and advocating equity in St. Louis
Vol. 92 No. 5 COMPLIMENTARY
stlamerican.com
Real talk about the pandemic Urban League opens COVID-19 testing site with Affinia in Jennings By Chris King Of The St. Louis American There was real talk about the COVID-19 pandemic as it is playing out in the St. Louis region at the opening of a new testing site in North County on Tuesday, April 21. Michael McMillan, president and CEO of the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, said testing needs to be freely available in the communities hit hardest by the pandemic. “African Americans are dying from this disease at exponentially higher rates in North St. Louis and North St. Louis County,” McMillan said.
St. Louis County Executive Sam Page said that the county would be administering $175 million in federal COVIC-19 relief funds. He reminded the public and media that he had asked the County Council to route the bulk of those funds to the communities hit hardest. The County Council considered the matter Tuesday evening, but Republican council members blocked it. “It should be not an equal but an equitable distribution,” Page said. Equitable means that resources are distributed according to need, rather than evenly without regard to need. See PANDEMIC, A7
Photo by Chris King
Affinia Healthcare opened its COVID-19 site at the Urban League center in Jennings at 8960 Jennings Station Rd. on Tuesday, April 21. Though testing is free, a screening must be completed and an appointment made. Call 314-833-2777.
Testing sites running out of protective equipment
‘It’s going to take time’
North St. Louis finally has COVID-19 tests – but now needs PPE
As region nears COVID-19 peak, public health leaders urge patience
By Rebecca Rivas Of The St. Louis American CareSTL Health, which operates three testing sites in North St. Louis city, is running out of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for employees, its CEO Angela Clabon said on Friday, April 17. Its orders for masks, gowns and gloves have been delayed, she said. CareSTL Health just received 1,000 test kits, she said, and its testing supplies are finally where they need to be. The new challenge is acquiring PPE. “I will not test without PPE supplies,” Clabon said. “I won’t do that to my staff. I have all the powers to be trying to get more Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI – from the governor to Dr. Fredrick Echols, director the mayor, everyone is of the St. Louis Department working on trying to of Health, put on a protective get more.” mask at a press conference Clabon said that on April 16. Health centers the other Federally are running out of equipment Qualified Health to protect staff. Centers (FQHCs) that are operating testing sites in the areas hardest hit by the pandemic — which is largely North St. Louis County and North City — are experiencing similar struggles. Affinia Healthcare, another FQHC operating testing sites, said it has enough PPE supplies for now, but its orders have been reduced. Affinia is opening three new testing sites this week: one in Jennings, one in North St. Louis city and one in See EQUIPMENT, A6
By Rebecca Rivas Of The St. Louis American
The district is working with other partners and potential partners and hopes to have additional distribution points available soon, according to Superintendent Joseph Davis. Riverview Gardens is distributing drivethrough meals (and assignment packets) 10 a.m. to noon Tuesdays at Zion Travelers Church, 351 Chambers Rd., and 10 a.m. to noon Thursdays at Dellwood Recreation Center, 10266 West Florissant Ave. Students do not need to be present. Social
The St. Louis region is still projected to reach its peak of hospitalizations due to the COVID-19 pandemic around Saturday, April 25 — where up to 1,500 people could be hospitalized at any one time. “What’s concerning is anticipating what will happen when we do have to start relaxing some of the social-distancing and the shelterin-place rules,” Dr. Alex Garza, chief medical officer for SSM Health, said on Saturday, April 18. “Looking forward is more what concerns me than looking at the present data.” Garza is the incident commander for the St. Louis Bruce Metropolitan Thompson Pandemic Task practiced good Force. The task public safety force includes protocol while four major waiting for the health care bus in the city’s systems: BJC St. Louis Place HealthCare, neighborhood Mercy, SSM on Monday, Health and St April 20. Luke’s Hospital. Every day, Garza gives a briefing on the task force’s COVID-19 statistics that represent 2.8 million people for an area that encompasses surrounding counties
See FOOD SERVICE, A6
See PATIENCE, A7
Photo by Wiley Price
Mom teaches bike riding Wellston resident Ashley Franklin taught her son Moquion Franklin how to ride his bike on Monday, April 20. The 6-year-old boy is a student at The Kindergarten Center in the Normandy Schools Collaborative. All public schools in Missouri have shifted to remote learning for the rest of the semester to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Ferg-Flor, Riverview resume food service U. City raising funds for summer meals American staff The Ferguson-Florissant and Riverview Gardens school districts have resumed food service after suspending their programs over public health concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ferguson-Florissant is now distributing
drive-through meals at two locations: The Savoy Banquet Center, 119 S. Florissant Rd. in Ferguson; and Empower North County at Trinity Church, 3515 Shackelford Rd. in Florissant. The district distributes meals at the Savoy 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays. On Mondays, breakfast and lunch items for two days are served. On Wednesdays, breakfast and lunch items for three days are served. The district distributes five days of breakfast and lunch items at Trinity Church Parking Lot 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursdays.