Operating a screening and testing site in east Lawrence near 19th Street and Haskell Avenue is an effort by Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health in cooperation with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to streamline its approach to COVID-19 screenings requested by local health care providers and to work to expand access for vulnerable populations in our community. Beginning Monday, April 27, the site will operate from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays.
Due to limited testing resources in all communities, only physicians can order COVID-19 testing for patients. Therefore, access to the site is by appointment only. Since mid-March, our community partners, especially LMH Health, have been working closely together to create an efficient system that will get as many people tested as possible through both the KDHE lab in Topeka and private labs.
Last week the state and Local Health Officer Dr. Marcellino in a message to healthcare providers announced expansions to the criteria to qualify for COVID-19 testing. Along with all our partners, we anticipate that this will increase the number of tests performed at LMH Health’s Respiratory Evaluation Center and in the Emergency Department and other sites, but we also recognize the importance of increased access to testing as long as supplies allow.
Anyone concerned about COVID-19 should still call their primary health care provider for guidance. Douglas County residents, who do not have a health care provider, can call the Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health Coronavirus hotline at 785-856-4343. If a COVID-19 test is necessary, the physician will place an order and then direct the patient to the specimen collection site.