On Wednesday, April 2, Affinia Healthcare staff gathered under cloudy skies to pay special honor to the lives lost and recognize the heroes who helped the community weather a storm like no one had ever seen – the COVID-19 pandemic.  

     April 2, 2025 marked the fifth anniversary of Affinia Healthcare’s first COVID-19 testing facility at its health center, located at 1717 Biddle Street, just west of downtown St. Louis. Staff gathered at several of the community health center’s locations to hold a collective moment of silence to remember those lives lost to the mysterious virus, and to honor the heroic efforts of the healthcare staff, whose commitment to care and compassion made a lasting impact.  

     Dr. Kendra Holmes, Affinia Healthcare President & CEO, recalled the many unknowns the staff faced at the beginning of the pandemic.   

     “It was tough, we didn’t know what to expect,” explained Dr. Holmes, who was then the organization’s Chief Operating Officer. “We were putting our lives at risk but we’re a mission driven organization and that’s what we do every day.”  

      Affinia Healthcare’s testing site at Biddle Street was the first to open in North St. Louis. Sites had opened in West St. Louis County and south St. Louis city, but no testing locations were available on the city’s north side, whose population would be disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. Testing was critical in those initial days. Many of the deaths were among low-income, Black and Brown communities. 

     “If we don’t take care of the underserved, it will affect every other community,” Holmes explained.  

     Affinia Healthcare also offered monoclonal antibody infusion therapy for patients who had mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms and an elevated risk of complications. Data from clinical trials showed that high-risk patients treated with monoclonal antibodies had a 70 percent reduction in relative risk of progression to sever disease or hospitalization compared to patients who did not receive the treatment. Affinia Healthcare also partnered with the City of St. Louis Department of Health and the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services to provide this treatment to inmates who tested positive for COVID-19. 

    Once a vaccine was available, testing transitioned to vaccinations, with Affinia Healthcare setting up vaccine clinics in its health centers, as well as schools and other community sites throughout the area. Affinia Healthcare also established a long-COVID clinic to address the lingering effects of the virus. The long-COVID clinic was a multi-disciplinary approach incorporating internal medicine, chiropractic, and mental health care to address the long-term effects of the virus. Affinia Healthcare also partnered with organizations like Operation Food Search and St. Louis Area Foodbank to hold free food pantries as many in the community had lost income and employment.  

      In addition to pivoting to serve communities during this unprecedented time, Dr. Holmes shared that she was also concerned about keeping her staff employed.   

      “Many companies and organizations were laying people off,” Dr. Holmes explained during the observation. “We needed to find ways to take care of our families. Aside from taking care of the community, it was also about taking care of you, the staff.”  

     When asked about the observance, Holmes said it was emotional due to the loss she experienced personally and professionally.  

    “There was the loss, and we’re still dealing with it,” she continued. “We lost staff, we lost patients, but we’re still fighting for the underserved.”