Community utilization of a co-created COVID-19 testing program in a US/Mexico border community

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Equity
• Community-Based Participatory Research

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated health disparities in underserved Latino/a communities.
• Equitable access to COVID-19 testing was a significant challenge for these populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a community-driven and culturally tailored COVID-19 testing model.
• To assess the utilization of this model in an underserved Latino/a community in San Diego.

Main Methods:

• The Community-driven Optimization of COVID-19 testing to Reach and Engage Underserved Areas for Testing Equity (CO-CREATE) project was implemented.
• A community co-designed testing program partnered with a Federally Qualified Health Center near the US/Mexico border.

Main Results:

• Over 24,000 COVID-19 PCR tests were administered to over 13,000 individuals between May 2021 and March 2023.
• 93% of participants identified as Latino/a, with 57% speaking Spanish at home.
• The CO-CREATE project accounted for approximately 12% of all COVID-19 tests in San Ysidro and tested nearly 17% of the community's residents.

Conclusions:

• The culturally responsive and community co-designed testing program demonstrated significant success and reach.
• Future interventions must address testing barriers to ensure equitable access and uptake for all community members.