Stanislaus County has two new coronavirus testing sites. Are we a ‘testing desert?’
Starting Monday, two more public testing sites will be open in Stanislaus County for people who have signs of COVID-19 illness.
The new testing opportunities in Keyes and Patterson are part of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s effort to put more than 80 coronavirus testing sites in rural areas of California.
The tests are by appointment Monday through Friday at the Keyes Community Center, 5506 Jennie Ave., and the Hammon Senior Center in Patterson, 1033 W. Las Palmas Ave. It is not drive-through service. People arriving for appointments walk in, said Royjindar Singh, a county spokesman.
OptumServe is contracted with the state to handle staffing, the appointment process, specimen collection and reporting results. The state pays for the setup costs at the two sites. The county is responsible for providing the facilities.
Dr. Julie Vaishampayan, county public health officer, said the Keyes and Patterson sites dramatically increase testing for county residents who have had limited access since the coronavirus surfaced here in March.
“We’re thrilled to partner with the state and OptumServe to help ensure our communities are healthy, while also helping meet California’s testing goals,” Vaishampayan said.
Singh, spokesman for the county Office of Emergency Services, said the testing is offered to anyone with symptoms related to coronavirus. People from adjacent counties, the homeless and undocumented people are eligible for testing.
California pays for tests for uninsured
For people with health insurance, OptumServe will bill the person’s insurance carrier for the test. The state will pay for tests for the uninsured.
People who have symptoms such as fever, cough or shortness of breath may go to https://lhi.care/covidtesting to arrange a testing appointment.
Keyes was chosen by the state based on the underserved population in the area and the goal of expanding testing access for people regardless of socio-economic status. The state has aimed to improve access in “testing deserts” in California through the contract with Optum.
In choosing new locations for testing, the state looks at rural and urban areas where people must travel 30 to 60 minutes to reach a testing site or hospital, a county press release said.
Given the opportunity to pick up a second site, Singh said, the county suggested Patterson because the central part of the 1,500-square-mile county now has two public test locations — Keyes and the Salida library.
Patterson fourth in infections
As of Friday, 38 people have tested positive for coronavirus in Patterson, the fourth-highest count among the county’s nine cities, and 11 have tested positive in Newman.
Keyes is situated between Ceres and Turlock. Ceres has tallied 39 cases of COVID-19, while Turlock has 100 cases, according to a county Health Services Agency dashboard. Most of the Turlock cases are driven by an outbreak at Turlock Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.
Singh said the Verily drive-through site in Salida, launched April 20 for people with underlying conditions, continues to serve residents. One constant has been people not showing up for appointments, he said.
“Yesterday, I was told 80 were scheduled and only about 60 showed up,” Singh said, estimating the no-show rate is 15 to 20 percent daily.
This story was originally published May 1, 2020 at 8:03 PM.
