A local nonprofit established in 2020 to conduct widespread COVID-19 testing across San Antonio is back with plans to apply its expertise to a longer-standing public health threat in the city: diabetes.
Community Labs conducted COVID-19 tests free of charge at hundreds of locations in San Antonio from 2020 through 2023. Now, the nonprofit is piloting a diabetes screening project, offering free A1C tests for parents and their children at various school events.
Nearly 17% of Bexar County residents 18 and older have been diagnosed with diabetes, higher than the state average of 14%, according to a 2025 report from the city’s Metropolitan Health District.
Over 40 million people in the U.S. have diabetes, a chronic disease characterized by high blood sugar levels. A significant portion of people with diabetes and an even larger share of those with prediabetes are unaware of their condition, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Additionally, A1C tests can be pricey at drugstores without insurance coverage — issues that Community Labs is aiming to address with its new campaign.
From COVID swabs to finger pricks
Community Labs was established in 2020 with $1.5 million in funding and a lean staff to coordinate large-scale PCR COVID-19 testing. The nonprofit was chaired by Graham Weston, former head of Rackspace Hosting and founder of the 80/20 Foundation, one of three organizations that helped launch the nonprofit.
The task was to provide free testing and quick results, with the ultimate goal of catching cases before they could spread and helping keep schools open.
At the height of the pandemic, Community Labs was working in 14 San Antonio school districts, as well as some businesses and public sites owned by the city.
“The logistics of keeping track of 300 locations every week were amazing,” said Sal Webber, the nonprofit’s president.
In 2023, Community Labs halted operations as the pandemic waned and the state discontinued surveillance testing in schools. Nonprofit leaders started thinking about how they could apply their newly-gained expertise to other public health issues facing the city.
After conversations with city and educational leaders, they landed on diabetes, a long-standing health issue that Bexar County residents face at much higher rates on average than the rest of the state and country.
Free tests where families already gather
Community Labs conducted pilot runs of its diabetes testing program in 2025, setting up in school gyms, libraries and other locations at local school events. The nonprofit offers A1C diabetes tests, which are blood tests that measure average levels of blood glucose over the past three months.
It’s a primary test for detecting prediabetes and diabetes, as well as ongoing management for people already diagnosed with diabetes.
More than 1 in 4 adults with diabetes don’t know they have it, and 8 in 10 people with prediabetes are unaware, according to CDC data. A normal A1C level is below 5.7%, with 5.7% to 6.4% indicating prediabetes and 6.5% or above indicating diabetes.
A screening result isn’t a diagnosis, though. Under American Diabetes Association standards, diabetes can’t be diagnosed from a finger-prick test alone. Conditions such as anemia, pregnancy or sickle cell trait can also skew A1C readings higher or lower.
The nonprofit’s idea was to provide the tests free of charge and in places where folks were already going, making it more convenient than setting up a doctor’s appointment, and encourage folks who have higher-than-average levels to follow up with a primary care doctor.
Nonprofit leaders didn’t know how willing or interested people would be to have their fingers pricked at these events. Parents were more interested and appreciative of the opportunity to get their score free of charge than they anticipated, Webber said.
“People walk up and say, ‘My sister has diabetes and I’ve never had my A1C score, I’d really like to know.’ We’re providing that information in the same way we did during COVID,” he said.
So far, the nonprofit has tested roughly 500 people. Around 38% of those tested had levels indicating prediabetes or diabetes, a higher portion than the nonprofit had expected, Webber said. For those from ZIP codes on the South Side, that percentage was closer to 50%, reflecting geographic health disparities in San Antonio.
Community Labs partners with the Social and Health Research Center (SAHRC), a local health nonprofit focused on addressing chronic disease, including diabetes, in Bexar County. SAHRC provides resources and information for those who find out they have high blood glucose scores.
Community Labs is currently self-funding its pilot program, with plans to gather more data and insight this fall on what this could look like in the long term with sustained funding.
“There are people walking around, they have a family member that’s close to them that has diabetes, and they have a question over their head: ‘Do I also have it?’” Webber said. “It’s a similar situation as COVID, in that people have a question, and we’re giving them a quick answer.”
Disclosure: Community Labs and the 80|20 Foundation are business members of the San Antonio Report. See a full list of our business members here.
