Toyota & CVS Are Creating Relief Initiatives To Help Vulnerable Communities Amid COVID-19

As the COVID-19, or the novel coronavirus, pandemic worsens, major corporations have been stepping up their efforts to offer relief programs to communities impacted by the public health crisis. Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) and CVS Health are the latest corporations spreading awareness and offering free services to marginalized communities hit hard by the virus.

Toyota has created a special Community Service Announcement (CSA) called #UsAgainstCOVID to bring awareness and spread credible information to black and Hispanic communities around the country which are among the hardest hit by the virus. The CSA, featuring a number of high-profile celebrities including Anthony Anderson, Cedric The Entertainer and Lupita Infante, aims to help these affected communities understand the risks, share steps on how to avoid contracting the virus, and direct them to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) website for more information.

“With the aim of giving back to the American communities in which we operate, we partnered with high-profile celebrities to bring an important prevention message to communities of color that have been disproportionately impacted by this deadly virus,” said Chris Reynolds, chief administrative officer, Manufacturing and Corporate Resources for Toyota in a press statement. “We moved quickly to make this CSA and are hopeful it will make a meaningful impact in the communities hardest hit by the COVID pandemic. We’re all in this together and we must work together to regain the health of our country, no matter where we live.”

CVS Health announced the launch of its new COVID-19 drive-thru testing site in Dearborn, Michigan, as part of a partnership with federal and state officials. The site will provide state residents with COVID-19 testing and on-the-spot results at no cost, using the new Abbott ID NOW™ COVID-19 test. CVS Health has opened similar large-scale rapid testing sites in Connecticut, Georgia, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island, conducting more than 35,000 COVID-19 tests.

“We’re delivering on our commitment to helping increase the frequency and efficiency of testing,” said Troyen Brennan, MD, MPH, chief medical officer, and executive vice president, CVS Health in a statement. “Based on discussions we’re having with other states we expect our testing capacity will continue to increase, subject to availability of supplies.”