Local Healthcare Entrepreneur, Winery, Napa Valley Vintners and Advocates Join Forces to Bring Testing to Farmworkers
NAPA, Calif., August 11, 2020 (Newswire.com) – Community leader Lydia Mondavi, local physician and founder of Neurovations, Dr. Eric Grigsby, and the Napa Valley Vintners have collectively formed a partnership to bring COVID-19 testing to wineries, essential workers, farmworkers and hospitality workers throughout the Napa Valley. The mobile testing unit launched at Rocca Family Vineyards, owned by Dr. Grigsby and wife Dr. Mary Rocca, and will now be moving up and down the valley to meet workers at job sites.
Dr. Eric Grigsby, founder and CEO of Neurovations and Napa-based N3 Laboratories, supplied infrastructure for the testing sites including a website, online and multilingual scheduling tools, and administration aid. He was able to rapidly convert N3 Laboratories to help handle and process COVID-19 tests.
“Time is crucial here; we need testing and results now. I am more than thankful for the partners, volunteers, and my own family and staff who have made this a reality,” Grigsby said.
Lydia Mondavi has rallied partners up and down Napa Valley to help secure funding for the tests. Mondavi has been a tireless resource and champion to get COVID-19 testing and was instrumental in the recent testing at the Napa County Fairgrounds. The Napa Valley Vintners, the non-profit trade association of over 550 wineries, donated much-needed funding to the program.
“We are more than grateful to funders like the Napa Valley Vintners and to Dr. Grigsby who helped us create and maintain functionality. It is only through their generosity that this test is available to those that help keep our valley running,” said Mondavi.
Mondavi helped identify CORE to assist in managing the sites and providing training to staff members from the local community. The organization, founded by Sean Penn in 2010 in response to the Haiti earthquake, has been operating COVID-19 testing sites across the United States since March. CORE focuses on serving vulnerable and underserved communities, targeting low-income groups, communities of color, first responders, and essential workers, bringing training and manpower to help teach and train local volunteers to sustain testing operations.
The initial testing site was donated by Rocca Family Vineyards, owned by co-vintners Dr. Rocca and Dr. Grigsby. With training from CORE, the winery was transformed from drive-through to walk-up testing depending on the need.
Congressman Mike Thompson represents California’s Fifth Congressional District and is the founder and co-Chair of the Congressional Telehealth Caucus. Recently, he led the introduction of a bipartisan bill that will continue the expanded use of telehealth beyond the coronavirus pandemic. Thompson has worked to improve access to healthcare beyond COVID-19.
“I am very proud to see our community coming together from all corners — businesses, local leaders, non-profit organizations — to fight this virus and expand access to testing. This effort will help keep our community safer and reduce the spread of coronavirus. Thank you to all who worked tirelessly to make this a reality.”