New Partnership Brings Free Genetic Testing to South Florida — A Long-Term Push to Find Disease Earlier

A new program that could change how South Floridians find health risks

jscreen and the Mathew Forbes Romer Foundation have agreed to a multi-year partnership to bring free genetic testing and counseling to people across South Florida. The program is designed to put testing within reach — through at-home kits, community events and clinic partnerships — so more residents can learn whether they face inherited health risks that are actionable today.

The move matters locally because it aims to reach people who often miss standard screening: those without easy clinic access, people who don’t know their family history, and communities where testing has been scarce. By making testing and follow-up counseling available outside hospital walls, organizers say they expect to catch more treatable conditions earlier and connect families to the care they need.

How the multi-year deal will work on the ground

The agreement covers several elements meant to work together. Residents will be able to request at-home saliva kits, pick up tests at pop-up events, or get screened through local clinics that join the program. Tests are paired with genetic counseling by phone or video so people get clear, practical next steps after a result.

Geographically, the effort targets South Florida communities broadly, with initial emphasis on areas that historically have lower screening rates. The program is pitched as inclusive: organizers plan outreach in different languages, partnerships with community groups, and referral links to local specialists for people who need follow-up care.

Because it is a multi-year deal, the partners say they will track measurable goals such as how many residents receive testing, how many are linked to follow-up care, and whether more cancers or other genetic risks are caught at an earlier, more treatable stage. Those targets will guide where the program expands and how resources are deployed.

Who the organizations are and why they can deliver

jscreen runs community-focused genetic screening programs that combine easy test access with counseling and referral services. It has experience sending at-home kits and coordinating tele-genetic counseling so people aren’t left with confusing results.

The Mathew Forbes Romer Foundation is a philanthropic group that funds health programs and community services. In this partnership, the foundation is providing the financial backing and local outreach muscle that can help move testing out of hospital settings and into neighborhoods, community centers and churches.

Together, the two groups bring both the medical operations and the local funding and relationships needed to reach residents who are often missed by mainstream programs.

What the community stands to gain

The biggest benefit is earlier detection of inherited risks that can be acted on today. For some people, a genetic result leads to intensified screening, preventive steps or medicines that lower the chance of advanced disease. That matters for families, too: a positive result often prompts testing for relatives, which can protect more people in a household.

Beyond individual gains, the program aims to reduce health gaps. Communities with lower access to genetic services could see real change if the program reaches people at scale. That may mean fewer late-stage diagnoses, less surprise illness, and clearer paths for families to get care.

There are limits: testing can reveal hard choices, emotional stress, and needs for medical follow-up that not every person can meet immediately. The partners plan counseling and referral support to reduce those risks, but the success of the program will depend on follow-through from the health system.

Timing, cost to residents, and how to take part

The rollout starts quickly and will unfold over multiple years. Residents should be able to request testing through the program’s sign-up channels, at community events, or via participating clinics. Organizers say testing will be free to recipients, funded by the foundation and partner support.

Local groups and clinics will be part of delivery, and counseling is included so people get a clear plan after a test. Expect staged expansions: pilots in some neighborhoods first, then broader availability as the program scales.

How this fits into a bigger picture — and what to watch

The program joins a wider trend of moving genetic screening out of specialty clinics and into the community. That can widen access quickly, but it raises questions about data privacy, long-term storage of genetic information, and how results might affect insurance and employment in edge cases.

Federal rules offer some protection against discrimination based on genetics, but limits remain and people should understand how their data are used and stored. The next milestones to watch are enrollment numbers, the share of positive results that lead to medical follow-up, and whether the program expands to reach more of the region.

For South Florida residents, this partnership could mean easier access to information that changes medical choices — and in some cases, helps catch disease when it is still treatable.

Sources

• prnewswire.com