The St. Joe Community Foundation has approved grants to local nonprofit organizations totaling nearly 300 thousand dollars in response to the COVID-19 pandemic

 The St. Joe Community Foundation has approved grants to local nonprofit organizations totaling nearly 300 thousand dollars in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The money is earmarked to provide funding for the purchase of much-needed testing supplies and personal protective equipment for three Northwest Florida health care providers.

The largest of the grants was awarded to the Ascension Sacred Heart Foundation in the amount of $200,000.

The Ascension Sacred Heart Foundation will use this grant to purchase personal protective equipment for the front line medical staff working at Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast in Miramar Beach, Ascension Sacred Heart Bay in Panama City and Ascension Sacred Heart Gulf in Port St. Joe.

Additionally, the Foundation awarded over 62 thousand dollars to PanCare of Florida for COVID-19 testing supplies for Bay and Walton Counties.

Over the past several weeks PanCare has established several COVID-19 testing sites in Northwest Florida including in Eastpoint and Port St. Joe.

COVID-19 testing is available at no cost to all persons with or without symptoms as long as they meet certain requirements.

That includes Healthcare facility workers and first responders, Residents in long-term care facilities, Persons 65 years of age and older and people with underlying health conditions.

PanCare continues to offer COVID-19 testing to all persons with symptoms including cough, fever, or shortness of breath at all testing sites.

You do have to make an appointment to get tested.

You can call PanCare Health's COVID-19 response line team at (850) 215-4181 Monday-Friday 9 am-4 for a screening and appointment.

That number again is 850-215-4181.

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