COVID-19

Covid-19/Coronavirus Precautions

NOAH’s office will be open Monday-Friday 9:00AM-5:00PM, starting Monday, June 22nd.

To limit the number of people in the office at a time and to ensure safe distancing, please note that these office hours are by appointment only until further notice. Please call 716-285-3590 or email info@noahniagara.org to schedule an appointment.

In accordance with Centers for Disease Control and State regulations, proper face coverings are required to enter our office, and we will be conducting a brief wellness screening at the door. Hand sanitizer will be provided, and all surfaces will be disinfected before and after meetings.

Zoom and telephone meetings are still available, and we recommend this for any community members who may be immunocompromised or otherwise at higher risk for COVID-19, or who may have had exposure to the virus within the past 14 days. Due to space constraints, meetings of more than 5 people must be conducted in an alternate location, or on Zoom. We appreciate your assistance in protecting the health of our staff and community!

Our Health equity organizing work

NOAH is a founding member of the Niagara Falls Health Equity Task Force, and we are working closely with our community partners to dramatically expand access to COVID-19 testing and lifesaving information in our city and county.

TELL FEDERAL AND STATE OFFICIALS: WE NEED OUR COVID-19 TEST RESULTS!

Residents of Niagara County are experiencing delays of more than seven days to receive COVID-19 test results due to backlogs at the labs. Since we need results quickly in order to identify, isolate, and track positive cases, these delays make testing more or less useless for controlling spread of the virus. The health and safety of our community members are at stake, especially those who are at highest risk. These delays are unacceptable!

In addition to testing backlogs, some of our local healthcare providers have had to suspend community-based testing because testing supplies are now unavailable. Our Niagara Falls Health Equity Task Force, comprised of leaders from local healthcare providers, direct service agencies, the faith community, and local government, was actively identifying and eliminating barriers to testing to ensure that EVERYONE could get tested. Without testing supplies, we are unable to address disparities and keep our community safe.

Please write to Assistant Secretary for Health Admiral Brett Giroir, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Governor Cuomo, and Lt. Governor Kathy Hochul today! Tell them to:

  1. Open up additional community-based testing sites in Niagara Falls.
  2. Approve additional labs that will process COVID-19 tests.
  3. Ensure that our region has access to needed test kits and test processing supplies.
  4. Ensure that everyone who is tested will receive results within 24-48 hours.

Send Letter

FREE COVID-19 TESTING FOR CONGREGATIONS

Due to the critical shortages of test kits and test processing supplies noted above, Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center has had to put their community testing program on hold. The church testing events we were organizing with NFMMC were unfortunately part of that program. We have arranged to continue testing at local churches through the Community Health Center of Niagara’s mobile testing unit; however we are currently experiencing long wait times for results, sometimes more than 7 days. To schedule a FREE testing event at your church or place of worship, please call our office at 716-285-3590 or email info@noahniagara.org.

NIAGARA FALLS TESTING SITES

  • Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center, 621 10th St., Niagara Falls: testing daily. Call 716-278-4496 for information.
  • Community Health Center of Niagara, 2715 Highland Ave, Niagara Falls, NY: every Thursday from 9:00AM-4:00PM. Call 716-986-9199 ext. 5907 for information.
  • Rite Aid, 1030 Pine Ave., Niagara Falls, NY: testing daily. Drive thru only, sampling is by self-service nasal swab. Click here to schedule appointment.
  • For a full listing of test sites county-wide, visit the Niagara County Department of Health
  • Check our Events Calendar for listings of upcoming Testing Events!

 

knowledge is power

Here are links to additional resources that may be useful to you:

 

WE ARE HERE TO HELP!

We know that you, our beloved family and neighbors, may be worried or afraid or struggling with social isolation at this time. We see you. Reach out to us if you need to talk about it.

To our friends in the healthcare industry on the front lines of this pandemic, we see you, and we know that you are struggling with your own challenges and fears for yourselves and your families. We thank you for your service. Let us know if you need to talk.

To schedule a one-to-one with a member of our team, email info@noahniagara.org with a good phone number and times when you are available, and we will call you!

Basic Safety precautions

Please incorporate these simple steps into your daily routines to keep yourself and your family safe:

    1. As much as possible, please stay at home to help reduce the spread of the virus through our community.
    2. Wash your hands often with soap and water for 20 seconds, especially after coughing or sneezing, going to the bathroom, and before eating or preparing food.
    3. Avoid touching your face.
    4. Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, and then throw the tissue in the trash. If a tissue is not readily accessible, cough or sneeze into your elbow to avoid contamination to your hands.

In community organizing, we know that taking care of each other starts at the grassroots, with each of us. Please use your best judgment and do your part to help keep your community safe and healthy.