Four free COVID-19 test kiosks installed in health agency district
The Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency has placed four self-serve COVID-19 PCR testing kiosks in the tri-county area.
Three have been installed in St. Joseph County and one in Coldwater's Goodwill Store Plaza on Willowbrook Drive.
Other units began service at Covered Bridge Healthcare last month at their locations in Centreville, Sturgis and Three Rivers. These units are the first units of their kind in Michigan.
Health officer Rebecca Burns said the agency partnered area health partners and the CDC because testing in agency offices is limited. The more sensitive PCR tests are available only one day a week in Coldwater. The self-contained kiosks offer access to COVID-19 testing 24/7.
Burns said the kiosks are available at times when pharmacies, doctors' offices and the agency do not provide testing, such as nights and weekends.
“It provided people with more opportunities on their schedule,” Burns said.
Burns said the PCR tests are more accurate than the home test swabs. The results take longer to receive.
After completing a brief registration form, the kiosks dispense a test kit that includes a nasal swab and instructions on collecting the specimen. Once the specimen is collected, it is safely packaged back into the kit and placed in the kiosk. The specimens are picked up daily and sent to an accredited lab for PCR testing.
The units require the use of a smartphone.
Pre-registration for testing at the kiosks is not required, but is available at register2.testandgo.com.
There is no out-of-pocket cost for the tests provided through a kiosk, but for those individuals with insurance, their insurance will be billed for the test.
In most cases, individuals will receive notification of their test results by email or text within 48 hours of specimen collection.
The company LTS, which is the state contractor for in-person COVID-19 testing, owns the kiosks and the health agency supplies the electricity.
With COVID-19 transitioning to the endemic phase, the LTS might not continue contracting with the CDC.
Burns said the company canceled plans to install more units at their offices in Coldwater and Hillsdale.
"It probably was a little bit more useful (before) than it is now," Burns said.
Currently, the kiosk is authorized to test only for COVID-19, but the company indicated it might be authorized for other medical tests in the future.
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“LTS has told us that these have a future for doing that type of thing. Now that the CDC money is going away, I don't know what the future holds for that,” Burns said after talks with the company this week.
“We were determined to provide access to testing without having to wait for an office to be open or a specific day of the week,” she said.
“Now we don't know if they will continue to be there or if they're going to come pick them up and take them away. We have no idea at this point what the future holds,” she said.
“Anyone who is experiencing COVID-19 symptoms or has had a known exposure to COVID-19 is encouraged to utilize these kiosks or find a pharmacy or other location for testing.”
— Contact Don Reid: dReid@Gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter: @DReidTDR.
This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: Four free COVID-19 test kiosks installed in health agency district
