COLUMBUS, Ohio — A pop-up PCR COVID-19 testing site, located at Nutis Center on 1590 Alum Creek Road in Columbus, has 5,000 PCR tests available on Wednesday and Thursday.
James Teague, the emergency medical director at Nurse’s Heart Medical Staffing and Nurse’s Heart Paramedics, a registered medical transport company in Ohio, says they received the tests through the CARES Act.
“We looked at the situation. We actually had extra tests on hands that we could use. We thought this was a good time to intervene and kind of help all of Franklin County,” said Teague. “We're just here for the community and want to see some good work be done. So we're doing the best we can too.”
Teague says the results will be handled through AccuReference Laboratories and will be available within 24 hours of testing. The tests are free of charge, but you will be asked for some personal information to sign up.
“Same thing at a doctor's office, name, address, through the Cares Act, they would like your Social (Security Number) because it helps them pull it up on the computer easier, but we can use the driver's license number,” said Teague.
The Health Resources and Services Administration says providers are required to ask you for insurance and personal information, such as a social security number or driver's license number for vaccines and testing, but you do not need to give them that information to get a test or a vaccine.
A fact sheet on your rights can be found here.
The pop-up testing site is not associated with Franklin County Public Health or Columbus Public Health, according to spokeswomen from both departments.
Franklin County Public Health says providers of testing sites, “need to have an ordering provider and trained staff to complete specimen collection. The ordering provider or the laboratory that they process the specimens through are required to report all test results to ODH.”
Columbus Public Health says sites do not need to register or be approved by CPH to operate in the city.