Hartford HealthCare is expanding COVID-19 testing by launching several testing centers and mobile testing units.
During a Wednesday morning briefing, Dr. Ajay Kumar, the chief clinical officer for Hartford HealthCare, said three testing facilities would soon open in Mystic, Westport, and Newington, pending state approval.
In addition, Hartford HealthCare will have mobile testing centers, which Dr. Kumar said will be focused on vulnerable areas. Dr. Kumar described the mobile units as a van with testing capabilities.
"We want to make sure that individuals who don't have cars or capable means of transport…we can go to them. We can go to the proximity of the neighborhood to be able to test," Dr. Kumar said. "That's important because the most vulnerable populations are underserved individuals that actually have chronic medical disease are generally the ones that have difficulty in transport as well."
The mobile vehicle and three testing sites will help increase daily testing to 2,500 per day.
The mobile unit started Wednesday, April 29. Testing sites will open late this week and early next, pending state Department of Public Health approval.
They are in addition to existing testing stations outside HHC hospitals, including Hartford Hospital, Backus Hospital, MidState Medical Center, St. Vincent’s Medical Center, and Charlotte Hungerford Hospital. All sites will now also accommodate children 12 years old and older who have a guardian present.
The hours will be 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The testing process takes less than three minutes from start to finish. To get tested, visitors need a referral from their physician or advanced practitioner provider. This can be done by their provider filling out the form at www.hhchealth.org/testorder or sending a secure email with appropriate information to HHCCOVID19TEST@hhchealth.org.
If they don’t have a provider they may call the HHC Clinical Command Center at 860-972-8100.
“Access to testing is critical. We have been focused on helping the state increase its testing capability so that we are better able to understand who is infected,” said Jeffrey A. Flaks, President and Chief Executive Officer of Hartford HealthCare. “We know about 40 percent of the people who carry the virus or are positive do not show symptoms, and testing plays a critical role in controlling the spread and in containment.”
The new testing sites include:
· 181 Patricia M. Genova Drive, Newington. Traffic will enter from Patricia M. Genova Drive and exit via John Stewart Drive.
· 100 Perkins Farms Drive, Mystic, near the Hartford HealthCare HealthCenter. Those seeking tests will utilize the main entrance and loop around the perimeter of the parking lot. The testing site will be near the far corner of the building.
· 47 Long Lots Road, Westport, near the St. Vincent’s Medical Center Behavioral Health Center. Traffic will enter at the main facility's main entrance and then route to the former Seton school building. The testing will be at the rear of the Seton building and the exit through a separate access to the rear road.
For more information visit www.hartfordhealthcare.org/coronavirus
As of Wednesday, Dr. Kumar said there are more than 350 COVID-19 positive patients in the acute facilities across the Hartford HealthCare system.
