Hundreds of people waited for hours in their vehicles for free drive-up COVID-19 testing on Thursday at South Mountain Community College.
"It's our first day — we did not anticipate this turnout," said Marsha Wood, physician advocate for Lab 24, a south Florida laboratory that's providing testing.
Before 8 a.m., hundreds of community members in vehicles lined major roads waiting to be tested, and many people had to wait eight hours or more in 100-degree temperatures.
The free testing site, which opened in south Phoenix on Thursday, was organized by HeroZona Foundation, Travis L. Williams American Legion Post 65, the Arizona Army National Guard and other partners, Wood said.
By 2 p.m., the testing site ran out of supplies and volunteers started turning away vehicles, which were still lined up along 24th Street. A handful of vehicles continued to trickle in about 4:30 p.m. but were asked to return on Friday.
Two weeks ago, residents in Maryvale experienced similar wait times, with some people waiting in line as long as 13 hours to be tested.
'I think it was poorly planned'
At the free testing site in south Phoenix, residents did not have to preregister or provide insurance, which is part of the reason why Glendale residents Ricky Salazar, 32, and his mother, Gloria Salazar, 78, said they waited in line for more than eight hours to try and get tested Thursday.
"I appreciate that they're offering it ... maybe they didn't think this was going to be overwhelming for them, but I mean, it's really hot out here," said Ricky, who had been waiting in line with his mom since 7:15 a.m and said he felt dehydrated. "I see no porta-potties, there's no water, I mean it's ridiculous. I think it was poorly planned and could have been better organized."
By almost 4 p.m., Ricky's gas tank was on empty and he only had a few drinks of water left between him and his mom, who was holding up a shade to block the sunlight. They also hadn't eaten anything since they arrived, but they wanted to get tested since two of their family members have COVID-19, they said.
"I had a couple of water bottles. I didn't think we'd be out here more than two hours," Ricky said, adding that he saw people cutting other people in line earlier.
Wood said overheated technology, the registration process and testing multiple people in one vehicle contributed to the long wait times. She said they will be able to test double the amount of people on Friday.
Mary Jane Muniz was one of the last people who was able to test after vehicles were turned away due to limited supplies.
Muniz said she heard about the testing site on Thursday morning and arrived at 7:30 a.m. She was tested at 4:30 p.m.
Throughout the day, her daughter brought her a gallon of water to keep her hydrated as she waited to pull up to the area where people were getting tested.
"It's important for all of us to get done, to make sure, us south-side people. We didn't have testing on this side of town, but now we do," Muniz said. "I hope and pray everybody can do their share and get tested because it's very important that we get tested, because if there's a lot of positives, we need to stay at home."
Calls for more testing in south Phoenix
Of nearly 200 testing locations listed on the Arizona Department of Health Services website, only four are in south Phoenix and Laveen.
This was Lab 24's first test site in Arizona, Wood said, adding that their mission is to help underserved communities.
On June 25, Rep. Raúl Grijalva, Rep. Ruben Gallego, Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick and Rep. Tom O'Halleran sent a letter to Gov. Doug Ducey, asking if he plans to use the National Guard to provide support for COVID-19 testing in "underserved areas, areas with spikes in cases and areas with high COVID-19 positive test rates."
"This lack of testing makes it particularly difficult for the uninsured, low-income families, and immigrant communities to access a test in a timely manner," they said in the letter, adding that St. Vincent de Paul in south Phoenix receives 600 calls a day despite only being able to conduct 150 tests daily.
"This lack of access to testing in underserved areas exacerbates existing health inequities and impedes our ability to contain the spread of the virus," they said in the letter, also citing the long wait times for testing in Maryvale.
Wood said she put in a request for extra supplies for Friday's testing after she arrived to the testing site on Thursday morning and saw how many vehicles were lined up.
Wood and Iman Ahmed, another organizer of the testing, said they plan to have more efficient testing on Friday. They suggested people bring coolers with extra food and water if they plan to get tested at the college.
Free COVID-19 testing at South Mountain Community College will continue Friday and on July 9 and 10 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. or while supplies last.
Reach the reporter at Audrey.Jensen@arizonarepublic.com or on Twitter at @Audreyj101.
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