Barrow County - The Northeast Health District will begin using a mobile clinic to provide COVID-19 testing throughout a 10-county area. The first of these mobile testing events will be offered on Tuesday, April 7th, in Barrow County.
“We want to make sure as many people as possible have access to testing, and transportation can sometimes be a barrier,” explained Whitney Howell, Clinical and Nursing Director for the Northeast Health District. “A mobile unit will allow us to bring testing to where it’s needed most and allow early identification of cases that might otherwise have gone undetected. Finding these cases before an outbreak occurs protects individuals and the community.”
Like the previously established site in Clarke County, the mobile clinic will provide drive-through testing by referral only. The Clarke site will continue to be available Monday through Friday. The purpose of testing sites being operated by the Northeast Health District is to collect specimens from mildly ill people who do not require medical care or hospitalization and fall into one of the following categories:
- Healthcare workers and other first responders
- People working with and caring for vulnerable populations, such as long-term care facility staff
- People living and working in congregate settings where the disease can spread rapidly
If you have symptoms of COVID-19 (fever, cough, shortness of breath), you should stay at home and call your doctor or healthcare provider. Your doctor can either perform the test or screen you for referral to a site providing testing. If you do not have a regular healthcare provider, you should call the nearest urgent care center, federally qualified health center (FQHC), or your local health department.
Providers who would like to refer patients to the mobile clinic should call 706-340-0996. Members of the general public who do not have a doctor or healthcare provider may also call this number to see if they are eligible for testing at the mobile location.
For accurate and reliable information on COVID-19, visitdph.georgia.gov/novelcoronavirus orhttps://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html.
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Sarah R. Peck
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