PA’s acting secretary of health tours ‘creative’ COVID-19 testing site in Centre County
To encourage testing for COVID-19, the state’s top health official and Centre County Commissioners toured the state’s testing site in the county.
Keara Klinepeter, acting secretary of health, encouraged people to get tested, as it’s the best way to identify whether you are infected with the virus, she said in a press release. Following Wednesday’s visit, the board of commissioners were tested for COVID-19 at the site.
Klinepeter called the site, which is located at the County Recycling and Refuse Authority/Interpretive Center through a partnership with AMI Expeditionary Healthcare, “creative.”
“I think it’s a really creative one. So this is now the third AMI site that I’ve been at. It’s the first walk-in site that I’ve been to and it’s certainly the first recycling center we’ve been at, but I love it. I was just talking with some of the community members here today, it sounds like this is really a place that’s convenient for the community and that’s what’s most important,” she said.
She told commissioners that it was a great example of partnerships. Commissioners gave credit to Margaret Gray, county administrator, for her hard work and finding locations for the site, which has moved more than once.
“The Centre County Board of Commissioners is grateful for the ongoing COVID-19 testing resource provided by the Department of Health and AMI here in Centre County,” Centre County Commissioner Michael Pipe said in a press release. “Testing is a critical component of our collective efforts to identify and stop the spread of this virus. Through this partnership, readily accessible and vital testing has been made available to our citizens and we are truly appreciative of this support.”
Pipe noted that though each household in the United States is eligible to receive four, free at-home testing kits through the federal government, they still want people to use the walk-in site.
Klinepeter agreed, saying there’s a time and a place for at-home tests. She gave an example of a parent using an at-home test kit on their child before sending them to school or a basketball game just to be sure.
At-home test results are not reported to the Department of Health, but Klinepeter said they’re not too concerned about that. There are different reasons why they want people to be tested; one is to track the disease prevalence in the community. Another is for people to quickly know if they are positive, take appropriate health action and then isolate. That’s what at-home tests are good for, she said.
“It is imperative to quarantine and isolate if you test positive for COVID-19 so that we can stop the spread of all variants of the virus. Fortunately, testing in Pennsylvania is accessible through pop up sites like the one here in Centre County, through your healthcare provider, urgent care centers and at pharmacies. If you are exposed to COVID-19 or are experiencing symptoms, please get tested,” she said in a release.
As for the continuation of the Centre County site, Klinepeter said the state evaluates where to place testing sites every two weeks. The decision is data driven and the sites are located in parts of the commonwealth that “have the greatest need.” She anticipates the site in Centre County, which has seen long lines and wait times since the holidays, will be extended.
Testing in Centre County will be available through Saturday, Jan. 29 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the County Recycling and Refuse Authority/Interpretive Center, 253 Transfer Road, State College, PA. For more information, visit https://centrecountypa.gov/2225/COVID-19-Testing-Site.
