VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - On Sunday, Joshua Banks and Raymond Ross walked the halls at TCC's Medical Building in Virginia Beach. They've been here many times before as students, but now they're here as business owners.
"For us to go from x-ray students to now employing x-ray techs - it's something that's massive," Banks said.
The pair started Ross Diagnostic Imaging, a new one-of-a-kind black-owned mobile x-ray company.
"There are some people that can't get the care that they need right away. Whether it's in assisted living, jails, detention centers and so forth, so we want to be able to provide that," Banks said.
Banks said COVID-19 has backed up imaging at certain facilities, causing longer wait times for patients. He and Ross are hoping that adding another x-ray company in town will help ease the burden.
"We want to make sure that it doesn't take days for these exams to get done [and] that [these patients] get the care they need right away," Banks said.
However, Banks and Ross are aware of the mistrust that many have of the medical community.
"We want to help build that trust back up through our company and show them, hey we're actually here for you, we want to provide a service that you can trust and you will see the benefit of," Banks said.
Ross added that it's not just about their business, but about helping the community.
Ross Diagnostic accepts insurance and also follows COVID-19 safety protocols when making home visits. With a greater need because of the pandemic, they're just hoping to make a difference.
"You don't have to have somebody tell you that you can't do this because you're this or you're that -- anything that you put your mind to, you can make it happen," Ross said.
