Quest Provides Needed Support for Global Anti-Hate Summit

When the organizers of a large anti-hate global conference in Pittsburgh needed on-site COVID-19 testing, they reached out to Quest to help keep the summit as safe as possible.

The inaugural Eradicate Hate Global Summit 2021 was scheduled for October 17 to 20 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in downtown Pittsburgh. About a month before the conference, organizers reached out to Quest for help.

Even though they were requiring proof of vaccination, or a proof of a negative COVID-19 test, organizers wanted to have quick, on-site testing for the 1,000 attendees for those who forgot their card or test results. Organizers also wanted to facilitate PCR testing for international speakers who would be returning to Europe after the summit.

"We created a plan to implement temperature checks on the way in the door, a process for checking vaccination status, and a rapid PCR testing program for international travelers or other attendees," said Wendi Mader, Executive Director, Enterprise Accounts and Employer Population Health, Quest Diagnostics.

The summit was established in the wake of the October 2018 shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill neighborhood, the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in United States history that left 11 worshippers dead, and six others injured, including four Pittsburgh police officers.

As colleagues were preparing to help provide COVID testing for the summit, they discovered there was a Quest connection to the tragic event.

"As we learned more about this, we connected the dots and realized that the brothers of a retired Employer Population Health employee were killed in the Tree of Life shooting," Wendi said. " Therefore, helping at this great cause was even more meaningful for us."

Click here to learn more about the Eradicate Hate Global Summit and their mission to honor the global victims of hate by breaking down silos, exchanging ideas, and engaging in prioritized actions against hate.

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Quest Diagnostics on 3blmedia.com