MILWAUKEE — Nearly one out of every ten positive reported COVID-19 cases in the City of Milwaukee has come from a small pocket in the city.
New data from Milwaukee County reveals a higher concentration of positive cases in neighborhoods near St. Joseph's Hospital.
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Between Sherman Blvd., 51st St., Locust Ave., and Keefe Ave. sit Milwaukee's Sherman Park and St. Joseph's neighborhoods.
Seven people within those bounds have tested positive for COVID-19—the highest number in Milwaukee County, as of Wednesday.
"I'm my kids' protectors, so that's kind of scary," said Al Pearson.
Pearson lives in the neighborhood and says on his block, people are taking precautions. He said he wasn't aware of the numbers.
"This is all you're going to see. No one is out and about," Pearson said.
A look at the greater area shows a higher concentration. Areas bordered by Capitol to the north, Locust to the south, 35th to the east, and 51st street to the West have a total of 23 of Milwaukee County's 295 confirmed cases.
The number also represents nine percent of the City of Milwaukee's 231 positive cases.
"We need more over here in the area. We need more in the inner-city, period," said Malachi Harmon, a resident.
Harmon wonders why his neighborhood is so disproportionately impacted. He said the area could use more stores with supplies.
"We need more places we can go to as far as a Wal-Mart or somewhere close," he said. "It's hard for people to get to certain stores where they can get wipes and towels."
St. Joseph's hospital is also in the neighborhood. According to Ascension, the hospital began testing Tuesday.
In a statement sent to TMJ4 News:
Ascension Wisconsin has taken the following steps to ensure the care patients receive does not add an undue financial burden during the COVID pandemic:
- Uninsured patients will not be billed for COVID-19 related testing or treatment
- Patients who are insured will not be billed for out-of-pocket expenses (ex: copays) related to COVID-19 testing or treatment
- Financial assistance applications will be valid for one year to reduce the burden of re-application
- Our payment grace period has been extended to four months (120 days). Patients who are unable to make their monthly payments should call the number listed on their billing statement to have a hold placed on their account