Local churches are starting to join the fight against the coronavirus and are making testing more accessible to underserved communities. 

Residents in Bed-Stuy lined up for free testing at Bethany Baptist Church Wednesday. This is part of a broader state government push to bring more testing into underserved communities. 

"We recognize that there is a disparity in testing in black and brown communities, such as where we are in Bedford-Stuyvesant. We are the most affected and the least tested so today we are launching a testing site,” said Adolphus Lacey, Senior Pastor at Bethany Baptist Church. 

The testing site allows anyone to be tested just by walking in, and offers the coronavirus test on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. They are also offering antibody testing Thursday and Saturday.

 

Residents are calling the effort necessary. 

"When we have access we should definitely take advantage of it, I encourage everybody to come out because it's safer for our neighborhood,” said Bed-Stuy resident Chris Johnson. 

The Metro Industrial Areas Foundation and the governor's office helped open the location and the New Jerusalem Worship Center, located in Queens. 

They’re also planning to open additional church testing in the Bronx. The site will run for the next five days, but church staff says it may expand if the number of people being tested shows that there is a higher demand.