Access is not available equally nationwide. Today, Americans routinely wait for hours to get an exam - if they can get one at all. With nearly 4 million coronavirus cases across the United States and hospitalizations surging in different parts of the country, there continues to be a growing demand for tests. But even with the intervention of medical professionals like Stanford stepping in to meet the rising demand, many communities of color across the country still face a dire situation in terms of getting a COVID-19 test. Together, the group has issued Philadelphia’s residents more than 7,000 tests. Stanford, a pediatric surgeon, quickly assembled a group of doctors and volunteers called the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium to help meet the challenge of testing the city’s underserved residents. “We’ve been to locations that are predominantly African American where everyone had insurance and they couldn’t get tested,” said Stanford, referring to the often strict requirements providers had of those seeking tests as the outbreak began, such as doctor referrals, appointments and symptoms consistent with infection.
