For the leaders of community institutions like LMH Health, Weaver s and the Lawrence chamber of commerce, planning is everything and when it comes to Lawre
photo by: Seth Sanchez
Free State Brewery company sales and distribution manager Jeff Jensen, left, and Lawrence sales ambassador David Leff, right, fill up a van with COVID-19 testing kits during the first week of March as part of a delivery to hospitality businesses in Lawrence.
A collaboration among three Lawrence organizations has resulted in a robust COVID-19 testing program aimed at finding asymptomatic cases among community members who often interact with strangers.
In December, the Lawrence Restaurant Association partnered with LMH Health and Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health to begin surveillance testing of hospitality workers. According to Emily Peterson, chair of the Lawrence Restaurant Association, 45 Lawrence businesses including restaurants, bars, coffee shops, bakeries and event spaces are now participating in the program. Those 45 businesses have around 1,100 staff members who are tested monthly.