It’s no surprise to say that 2020 has been a pretty terrible year. Most of us have been doing our best to just get ourselves through it in one piece. And that’s why Dr. Ala Stanford’s story is so inspiring. Instead of just getting herself through this tough time, Dr. Stanford founded the Black Doctors Covid-19 Consortium, an organization that brought much-needed Covid-19 testing to the Black community in Philadelphia.
Once she learned that people of color were disproportionately affected by the Coronavirus, she knew she had to do something. And within a few days she had her operation up and running. Now she has two teams of volunteer health workers who set up at various locations around Philadelphia to offer free Covid-19 testing.
We caught up with Dr. Stanford at Christian Stronghold Baptist Church in West Philadelphia a few weeks ago to interview her and watch her team in action. By the time of the interview, the Black Doctors Covid-19 Consortium had tested more than 12,000 Philadelphians for free — truly an astonishing number. And the day we were there, the organization was also offering flu vaccines.
To donate to the Black Doctors Covid-19 Consortium, visit the official website by clicking here.
This video was part of the Association of Fundraising Professionals’ (Greater Philadelphia Chapter) celebration of National Philanthropy Day. Dr. Stanford’s organization was honored for its philanthropic work, along with four other organizations at AFP-GPC’s virtual celebration.
I worked on the video for Tolsma Productions. James Copes interviewed Dr. Stanford and also filmed the beautiful aerial footage that day. John Groom at Tolsma Productions did the lower third graphics.
