Kroger Health, the Marion County Public Health Department and Indianapolis Public Schools are partnering to provide free, drive-thru COVID-19 testing on the west side of Indianapolis.
Testing will be available from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. May 12, 13, 19, 20, 26 and 27 in the parking lot at Ernie Pyle School 90, 3351 W. 18th St.
“The COVID-19 pandemic requires citywide action from a broad coalition of community partners,” said Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett. “It should therefore come as no surprise to see Kroger step up and partner with our county’s health department and Indianapolis Public Schools to provide this free service. This is the kind of continued collaboration we will need to ensure the health and safety of Marion County residents.”
“This work, like all the work we do, is guided by our values and our promise to feed the human spirit,” said Colleen Lindholz, president of Kroger Health. “As we continue to create partnerships that offer easy-to-access testing, we are proud of our commitment to serving our customers and our communities. Kroger and The Little Clinic will donate all professional services at the drive-thru testing facilities, including orders and observing the COVID-19 test.”
Community members with and without symptoms may register at http://krogerhealth.com/covidtesting. Eligibility will be established by a virtual screening tool, in accordance with guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) along with recommendations from state and local government.
Those who are eligible can select an appointment time in their area. Then, registrants will receive an email confirmation with pre-appointment paperwork. Each patient should bring a photo ID to the testing site and should leave car windows rolled up until a health care practitioner approaches the car and advises the patient to roll down the window.
The drive-thru testing location has a self-administered nasal swab that must be ordered and observed by a provider. Kroger determined that this testing methodology is beneficial as it increases the number of tests that can be provided while conserving available personal protective equipment.
Kroger Health professionals expect to test as many as 330 people per day. Results are expected within approximately 72 hours.
“We are closely monitoring COVID-19 data each day to understand the impact this is having in Marion County,” said Dr. Virginia Caine, director of the Marion County Public Health Department. “While there is reason to be hopeful, we can’t relax quite yet. Everyone’s continued hard work and patience is needed to slow the spread of this virus even more and help put our community on a positive path moving forward.”
“IPS is pleased to be a part of this important community health program and to offer one of our schools as a testing site,” said Aleesia Johnson, IPS superintendent. “We hope many members of the community, including IPS families, will take advantage of this free resource, if needed.” The drive-thru testing is supported with laboratory services provided by eTrueNorth, a contractor of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.