Testing eligibility expanded
Today the Wyandotte County Health Equity Task Force and the Unified Government Health Department announced expanded eligibility for COVID-19 testing, in addition to more COVID-19 pop-up testing sites to be held in the next two weeks.
“A strong network of community partners is dedicated to making testing more accessible by offering additional testing locations and hours ,” said Andrea Perdomo-Morales, chief program officer with Vibrant Health, in a news release. “By loosening the eligibility requirements for testing, we make COVID-19 testing available to more and more residents, even those who may not be showing any symptoms of the virus but who have been exposed to it. We are making sure that these individuals can find out if they are positive for the virus and isolate accordingly, which helps protect everyone in our community. Our ultimate goal is to reduce the spread of the virus and protect our community members, and this is a step in the right direction.”
Eligibility for testing
People who live or work in Wyandotte County are eligible to get tested at the Health Department or at a pop-up testing site if they meet one of the following three criteria:
• Have had at least one symptom in the last 48 hours.
• Are asymptomatic (have no symptoms) but have had close contact with someone who has tested positive.
o Close contact is defined as being within six feet of someone with COVID-19 for at least 10 minutes.
• Are asymptomatic but have an association to a known outbreak site (a location with at least 5 confirmed cases) .
o Example: someone who works at a business with a known outbreak.
Pop-up testing during the next two weeks
The Wyandotte County Health Equity Task Force has organized drive-through testing for the rest of May at community locations across Wyandotte County. These locations were carefully selected to increase access to COVID-19 testing for underserved populations, according to a spokesman. Testing events are held in coordination with Vibrant Health and Swope Health.
Upcoming testing sites include:
Date, time (subject to change), location in Kansas City, Kansas
- Wednesday, May 20, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Kansas City Community Church, 5901 Leavenworth Road, Kansas City, Kansas.
- Thursday, May 21, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Holy Name of Jesus, 1007 Southwest Blvd., Kansas City, Kansas.
- Thursday, May 21, from 2 to 6 p.m., Veritiv 2552 S. 98 St., Edwardsville, Kansas.
- Friday, May 22, to be announced.
- Tuesday, May 26, from 2 to 6 p.m., George Meyn Center, 126th and State Avenue, Bonner Springs, Kansas.
- Wednesday, May 27, from 2 to 6 p.m., Kansas City Kansas Community College Technical Education Center, 6565 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas.
- Thursday, May 28, from 2 to 6 p.m., Salem Baptist Church, 1824 N. 11th St., Kansas City, Kansas.
- Friday, May 29, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Rainbow Mennonite Church and Rosedale Development Association, 1412 Southwest Blvd., Kansas City, Kansas.
Testing is provided free of charge to Wyandotte County residents, according to a spokesman. Individuals who want to be tested at the sites listed above must register in advance by calling 913-371-9298 (calls to this number are answered by Community Health Council of Wyandotte County).
Testing is provided regardless of a person’s immigration status, health coverage, or ability to pay.
The Health Department will continue drive-up and walk-up testing from 1 to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday in the Health Department parking lot at 619 Ann Ave., Kansas City, Kansas. No appointment is needed. Eligibility criteria is now the same as the criteria for the pop-up testing sites.
Partnerships to organize testing opportunities
The Wyandotte County Health Equity Task Force and its partners focus on making testing and other resources more accessible and equitable to underserved members of the community, a spokesman stated.
The organization of pop-up testing in Wyandotte County is a collaborative effort among Argentine Assembly of God, Hosanna Christian Network Radio, Bethel Neighborhood Center, Calvary Temple Baptist Church, Community Health Council of Wyandotte County, Grandview Park Presbyterian Church, MORE2 , Advocates for Immigrant Rights and Reconciliation (AIRR), Groundwork NRG, JUNTOS Center for Advancing Latino Health, Livable Neighborhoods Taskforce, NBC Community Development Corporation, Salem Baptist Church, Swope Health, the Unified Government, University of Kansas Family Medicine, University of Kansas Health System, University of Kansas Medical Center, Unified Government Public Health Department, Vibrant Health, Wyandotte Health Foundation, and Wyandotte residents.
A map of testing locations and other testing details can be found on the Unified Government’s COVID-19 webpage at www.wycokck.org/COVID-19. Click on the COVID Hub, then click on the section that says “Experiencing Symptoms? Get Tested!” For questions on COVID-19, call 3-1-1.
- Information from the Unified Government Health Department