No Cost COVID-19 Antibody Event in Chino Hills on March 24-26, 2021

GUARDaHEART Foundation- https://www.guardaheart.org/

Douglas S. Harrington, M.D., Chairman of GUARDaHEART Foundation

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Chino Stake www.churchofjesuschrist.org and www.ComeuntoChrist.org

Phlebotomist Briana Green conducts blood draw at the GUARDaHEART No-Cost COVID-19 Antibody Testing Community Event

GUARDaHEART partners with Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Chino Stake to offer a No-COST COVID-19 Antibody Test

CHINO HILLS, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES, March 23, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The GUARDaHEART Foundation (GAH), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is partnering with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints located in Chino Hills to make critically important no-cost COVID-19 antibody testing available to the communities of Chino Hills, Chino and their surrounding areas. The serology antibody tests are approved for emergency use by the FDA and are an important diagnostic tool during a critical phase in the fight against COVID-19 while the community works to vaccinate its population.

The COVID-19 Antibody Testing Community Event will be held on March 24, 25, and 26 from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints located at 3354 Eucalyptus Avenue, Chino Hills. Walk-ins are available until 3:45 PM.

The no-cost community event is for asymptomatic people who think they have been exposed to the coronavirus, have had symptoms in the past but have not been tested, and for those that had a diagnosis of COVID-19 and would like to know if they have developed antibodies.

For those that have been vaccinated and for those who are no longer symptomatic, antibody testing is still valuable in that it shows how your body’s immune system has responded to either the vaccine or to previous infection. It is also a critical tool for public health departments to establish prevalence of the disease in the community and identify “hotspots” for intervention. For these reasons, it is still worthwhile to get antibody testing performed regardless of your vaccine status.

If you are interested in finding out if that illness you had months ago was COVID-19, or if you haven’t had any symptoms but are wondering if you’ve already been exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, you can get an antibody test now to find out.

If you have had COVID-19 in the past – or strongly suspect that you have – you may want to go ahead and get an antibody test because there is a need for donated convalescent plasma right now. That’s when the plasma portion of blood rich with antibodies from a person who has recovered from the COVID-19 infection is given to a person very sick with the disease. Taking an antibody test would clearly determine if you were a good candidate for such a donation.

The results of your antibody test should not be used to determine the effectiveness of vaccination. Vaccines may elicit different antibodies than an actual infection which are not detectable by current tests. Vaccines can also stimulate a different immune response in T-cells which is not detected by antibodies.

Those who are actively showing signs or symptoms of COVID-19 need to contact their health care provider to schedule a swab test, which is not available at this event.

Community members must bring their health insurance card or insurance information with them to their appointment. Antibody testing is fully covered by the CARES Act when billed through the insurance provider. Individuals will not have to pay a co-payment, lab fee, or deductible when attending a GUARDaHEART No-Cost COVID-19 Antibody Testing event. Individuals with no insurance are also covered under the CARES Act.

The GUARDaHEART Foundation received a community grant funded by The Predictive Health Diagnostics Co. to provide community outreach events in support of GUARDaHEART’s mission to “LEARN. DETECT. PREVENT.”

The tests are completely confidential and will be performed by a trained and licensed phlebotomist (a healthcare professional trained to draw blood). Results are available within three to five business days via a HIPAA compliant portal.

All ages are welcome to attend the antibody testing event. Children between the ages of 1-17 years old must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian to receive a COVID-19 antibody blood test.

Dr. Douglas S. Harrington, Chairman of the GUARDaHEART Foundation and Fellow of the American Society of Preventive Cardiology and the American Society of Clinical Pathology, said that even while vaccines are being broadly distributed, antibody tests continue to play a critical role in the overall COVID-19 recovery for both individuals and the community as a whole.

“While the community is feeling a sense of relief and new freedom during this new vaccination phase, antibody tests in the community still allow the medical field to closely monitor current infection rate. It is an important tool in the fight against COVID-19 as we roll out more vaccines and move toward a more familiar, ‘normal’ life”, he said. “When a person knows his or her antibody status, they have a key piece of information about their health and potential immunity which will help to make life-saving decisions,” said Harrington.

Shannon Hoover, Communications Director of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints located in Chino, said that the church was blessed to be able to collaborate with the GAH to provide these services to the community of Chino Hills, Chino and the surrounding areas. She added, “As followers of Jesus Christ, we strive to serve our community and love our neighbors. Together, we pray this pandemic will come to an end, and we are grateful to host the antibody testing.”

To register for the upcoming event in Chino Hills and find additional testing opportunities throughout Southern California visit www.GUARDaHEART.org.
For media inquires please contact Yvette Morales of YM & Associates PR at 949-244-9769 or YMoralesY@YM-PR.com

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About GUARDaHEART Foundation

GUARDaHEART Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit that provides education to the community, corporations, Native American organizations, unions, and individuals to promote heart disease awareness, detection, and prevention. Our mission is to empower communities through preventative action and to reduce the risk of heart disease worldwide. “LEARN. DETECT. PREVENT.” Visit GUARDaHEART at www.guardaheart.org for more information.

GUARDaHEART is actively working with businesses, nonprofit and community organizations in Los Angeles, Orange, and San Bernardino counties to provide additional no-cost COVID-19 antibody testing to the public. Organizations interested in partnering with GUARDaHEART, please contact Yvette Morales at YMoralesY@YM-PR.com or 949-244-9769.

GUARDaHEART is the organizer of the community events and all tests provided are performed by two CLIA Certified Laboratories.

About The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a worldwide faith of over 16 million members centered on the belief that everyone on earth is a son or daughter of a loving God and that His Son, Jesus Christ, saved the world from sin and death. The mission of The Church is to help all of God’s children come to Jesus Christ through learning about His gospel, making and keeping promises with God, and practicing Christ-like love and service. Each of our congregation units is called a “ward”, and our regional “stake” has eight units that cover Chino, Chino Hills and Diamond Bar (including English, Spanish and Mandarin congregations).

Visit The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Chino Stake website https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/ www.ComeuntoChrist.org for more information.

Yvette Morales
GUARDaHEART Foundation
YMoralesY@YM-PR.com
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Dr. Harrington talks about the effects of the coronavirus and heart disease along with the benefits of PULS Cardiac Test.