County Executive George Latimer, Building & Realty Institute (BRI) & 32BJ Team Up to Distribute Covid-19 Test Kits

Westchester County Executive George Latimer was joined by 32BJ SEIU and the Building & Realty Institute of Westchester (BRI) to announce the distribution of COVID-19 test kits supplied by Westchester County to residential building service workers represented by 32BJ and managing agents whose companies are members of the BRI.

Latimer said: “As we strive each day to return to normalcy and get test kits out to the people who need them to keep people safe and working, these partnerships are essential to completing our mission. I am grateful to BRI and 32BJ SEIU for working with us to provide a path forward from COVID-19.”

The disbursement is part of an ongoing, proactive effort by the County to make testing accessible to Westchester residents.

32BJ SEIU Executive Vice President Shirley Aldebol said: “We are proud to partner with the BRI and the Westchester County government to ensure that the essential workers keeping our living spaces clean, safe, and well maintained have free and easy access to rapid tests at their worksites. This initiative will help union workers, their families, and the residents they serve stay healthy as we recover from this devastating pandemic. This is a clear example of what we can achieve when we unite across labor, management and government to stop the spread of COVID-19 in vulnerable communities.”

The Building & Realty Institute (BRI) President and President, DeRosa Builders, Inc. in White Plains Lisa DeRosa said: “Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, building service workers, supers, cleaners, maintenance workers, managing agents, and landlords have unexpectedly found themselves on the front lines and in uncharted territory. We've now entered the phase of the pandemic where one of the best protections is frequent testing for those who continuously come into contact with Westchester's residents. The free rapid tests provided by the County for residential building workers, supers, managing agents, and others is the latest tool to keep our workers and our residents safe and we're very thankful for the help and continued partnership to keep our communities healthy and thriving.”

Westchester County’s allotment of COVID-19 Test Kits came from New York State and have also been distributed to housing authorities, child care centers, community health centers, police departments, fire departments, EMS agencies, senior centers, Chambers of Commerce, hotels, restaurants, food pantries, homeless shelters local municipalities, Department of Public Works facilities, non-profit organizations and houses of worship.