St. Jamestown -- In this episode of St. Jamestown News, journalist Nea Maaty reports on COVID -19 testing clinic being carried out by Sherbourne Health Center and is taking place at the St. James Town Community Corner (The Corner), located at 200 Wellesley St. East.

Neah Maaty interviews Dr. Warda Iqbal - a family physician at Sherbourne Health Center, Shova Adhikari, the community Engagement Facilitator at the Corner, and Nayanthi Wijesuriya, the Intake and Client Engagement Lead for Health Access, at The Corner.

We learn from the interviewees that the 12-week program runs from January to March 2021. It is free of charge and anyone could pop up to do the testing without an appointment.

Dr. Warda Iqbal explains, “The clinic runs every week. We are here on Tuesdays  from 1-5 on and on Fridays from 9-1,”  Although the clinic was developed for local residents living in the St. Jamestown area, they don’t turn anyone away and will still do the testing even if the person is not from the area.

In addition, as part of The Corner’s intake and assessment process, if someone doesn’t have a family doctor, The Corner works in partnership with Sherbourne Health Centre on connecting them to a doctor from the neighbourhood, or will give them information about family doctors in their area.  “Educating them about the importance of having a family doctor who has a track of their medical history and could help them in the future understanding their health conditions,” explained Nayanthi Wijesuriya, the Intake and Client Engagement Lead for Health Access, at The Corner.

St. Jamestown resident wanting to get tested for Covid-19, are encouraged to drop by The Corner, at 200 Wellesley Street.