BATON ROUGE, La. — May 28, 2019 — Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome announced Thursday the expansion of COVID-19 community testing sites throughout East Baton Rouge Parish. The expansion will offer mobile testing at various sites, Monday through Friday, for the month of June. The initiative is a partnership with Ochsner Baton Rouge, Our Lady of the Lake Medical Center, East Baton Rouge Parish School System, BREC, and a number of area Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC), including: CareSouth Medical and Dental, Open Health Care Clinic, RKM, and Southeast Community Health Systems.
“As our community has now entered Phase One of reopening, receiving a COVID-19 nasal swab test is one the most important steps our residents should take to protect their health and the health of their loved ones,” said Mayor Broome. “These testing sites do not require a doctor’s order and are offered at no out-of-pocket cost to the patient. Everyone who believes they need a test, should take advantage of this valuable resource.”
The mobile testing sites are in addition to about two dozen fixed testing sites in East Baton Rouge Parish. A list of mobile testing sites and fixed testing sites can be found here.
“Ochsner’s investment in community testing near local hot spots is a critical step towards a continued safe reopening,” said Eric McMillen, CEO, Ochsner Baton Rouge. “I’d like to thank Mayor Broome and her staff for their continued focus on COVID-19 testing. We’ll continue working to identify more community locations for widespread testing.”
The mobile testing locations do not require an appointment and operate on a first-come, first-served basis. Please check the schedule every week for updates.
“Our Lady of the Lake is proud to play a part in expanding access to COVID-19 testing by deploying mobile testing sites throughout our community. Increased testing is essential to managing COVID-19 and preventing a spike in cases,” said Coletta Barrett, VP of Mission, Our Lady of the Lake.
Also, patients using the Mayor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (MOHSEP) Community Testing Site at Baton Rouge General Mid City, will now be directed to the recently opened CareSouth testing site on Florida Boulevard, less than a half-mile away. Thus, the MOHSEP Community Testing Site at Mid City will begin to phase out over the next three weeks. Early on in the pandemic, a coalition of hospitals and clinics partnered with MOHSEP to stand up the Mid City site, taking the strain off area clinics and health centers.
Beginning Monday June 1st, the second MOHSEP Community Testing Site outside OLOL North Campus on Airline Highway will transition to testing inside the clinic.
Since March 16, 2,391 people have been tested at the MOHSEP sites. The initiative relied on local resources without aid from the state and federal government. Partners in the initiative include the Baton Rouge Clinic, Baton Rouge General, Ochsner Baton Rouge, Our Lady of the Lake Medical Center, and Woman’s Hospital.