New COVID testing center to be located in downtown Bloomingtonian

The Monroe County Health Department announced in a press release that a new COVID-19 testing center, located downtown, will replace the current testing site at the National Guard Amory in Bloomington. According to the release the testing site will open later in October and serve the community until June 21. The site of the location has not yet been revealed.

Here is the full text of the release:

“FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                           

October 8th, 2020                                                                                              

We are in this together against Covid-19

A message to the residents of Monroe County from community leaders

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Monroe County Health Department, Monroe County Board of Commissioners, City of Bloomington, Indiana University Health, and Indiana University are partnering to open a new COVID-19 testing site later this month that will continue to serve our community through June of 2021. The site is supported by community organizations’ financial support and a grant from the Indiana Department of Health. The grant provides seed funding as well as ongoing supplies and equipment.

The new testing site will ensure the availability of public COVID-19 testing when the current OptumServe site at the National Guard Armory is decommissioned.  Conveniently located in downtown Bloomington, the new testing site will be able to serve approximately 200 community members a day, by appointment.  The new site’s location, hours of operation, appointment registration, and more will be shared in the coming weeks.

In May, the Indiana Department of Health contracted with OptumServe to set up the first public COVID-19 testing site in Monroe County. Since that time, the site has served over 15,000 residents and completed approximately 21,000 tests, helping to keep our community safe.

This continued partnership speaks to our community leaders’ commitment to working together to ensure our community’s safety remains a top priority.

Let’s stay the course and keep each other well.

Penny Caudill                       Thomas W. Sharp M.D.                  Julie Thomas

Monroe County                     Monroe County                                 Lee Jones

Health Administrator            Health Officer                                   Penny Githens

                                                                                                            Monroe Co. Board of Commissioners

John Hamilton                      Brian T. Shockney                           Lauren Robel                                   

Mayor                                     President                                           Provost                     

City of Bloomington             IU Health South Central Region    Indiana University   

These community leaders have been meeting regularly via teleconference to share information and resources in response to COVID-19 in an effort to keep our community safe.

                                                                             -END-“