Free N95 masks, at-home COVID-19 tests available to all in Bradenton this weekend
Free N95 masks promised by President Joe Biden’s administration are set to be distributed by MCR Health on Saturday in Manatee and DeSoto counties.
Seven healthcare facilities in Florida, including MCR Health, were among the first 100 community health centers chosen to receive free N95 masks the last month, announced the Health Resources and Services Administration, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
On Saturday, MCR Health will distribute 10,000 N95 masks and 10,000 at-home COVID-19 test kits at one of it’s Manatee County locations, the East Manatee Health and Wellness Center, 1312 Manatee Ave. E., Bradenton.
In DeSoto County, there will be 5,000 N95 masks and 5,000 at-home COVID-19 test kits will be provided in DeSoto County at the Community Care Family Healthcare Center, 1148 E Gibson St. Building E, Arcadia.
Both locations will have a drive-thru for the distribution from 8 to 10 a.m. Limits will be set to three masks and four test kits per household.
“As a vital resource to the well-being of our community, MCR Health has acted swiftly throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. This is another effort to ensure that everyone remains safe and healthy,” MCR Health stated in a news release. “Together we will stop the spread and beat the COVID-19 pandemic.”
For more information, people can call 941-776-4000.
On Jan. 14, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated it’s mask guidance saying that cloth masks offer the least protection. Surgical masks and KN95s offer more protection, but N95s offer the most, the agency went on to say.
The recommendation was that people wear “the most protective mask you can that fits well and that you will wear consistently.”
The other six healthcare centers in the state receiving masks are:
- Jesse Trice Community Health System in Miami
- Escambia Community Clinics in Pensacola
- Trenton Medical Center in Trenton
- Health Care District Of Palm Beach County in West Palm Beach
- Central Florida Health Care in Winter Haven
