Nurse working to slow COVID-19 spread in west end

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - Dana Smith, a Family Nurse Practitioner has answered the call to educate her community as the number of positive COVID-19 cases skyrocket in West Louisville.

Smith’s sole responsibility at Hope Wellness Center in West Louisville is to give COVID-19 tests and educate her community on the deadly virus.

“It’s limited access to health care here in this community,” Smith explained. “And we know that the disproportionate numbers of the risk factor in African Americans dying from COVID is significant.”

Smith has had concerns for the people of West Louisville since the beginning of the pandemic.

“I was very alarmed about the mortality risk for lower socioeconomic individuals and African Americans,” Smith said.

She took it upon herself to target the virus before it could take over her community. Smith partnered with UofL in March to hold the first testing sites in West Louisville.

'We didn’t have a lot of positives which was good," Smith added. “We had a low number it was around 21 total out of about 700 people, that was pretty good.”

Now West Louisville is leading in positive infections rates in the city. Research from UofL shows West Louisville neighborhoods have a rate of infection of 10-12 percent and the rest of Louisville have rates of 4 percent.

Smith said along with the daily violence, the national and local unrest, and the novel coronavirus people are needing to be around family and friends. However, she wants to remind her community that this virus is still a threat.

“You need to stay focused because the lives of your family matter,” Smith said.

Smith will be holding a drive-thru testing site at the Hope Wellness Center at Lyles Mall on Saturday, October 24 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. She will also be offering education and tips hoping to get control over the numbers.

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