Agape Health working with city to open additional COVID-19 testing sites in Jacksonville

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Duval County wellness section swamped with radical successful enactment for testing

Duval County Health Department engaged with radical arriving to get tested

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – One radical offering COVID-19 investigating successful Jacksonville is moving to unfastened further locations arsenic aboriginal arsenic adjacent week.

The Florida Department of Health successful Duval County’s Central Health Plaza has been swamped with radical successful enactment for testing, and determination has been a telephone to unfastened much sites.

There were adjacent longer lines Tuesday, with hundreds of radical waiting to beryllium tested. Some radical told News4Jax they stood successful enactment for hours.

Those agelong lines, according to Agape Health CEO Mia Jones, are a large problem.

“For many, erstwhile they spot those agelong lines, they conscionable crook astir and spell backmost home, and we inactive request for them to cognize whether oregon not they person COVID,” Jones said.

That is wherefore Agape Health is present moving with the metropolis to unfastened up further investigating sites.

It won’t hap each astatine once. Jones is pushing for 4 much locations. News4Jax has learned that 2 of them would beryllium astatine elder centers similar the Clanzel Brown Senior Center connected the Northside and the Lane Wiley Senior Center connected the Westside. Jones said they are hoping to unfastened astatine slightest 1 tract adjacent week. But the biggest occupation is getting wellness attraction workers for the sites. Federal assistance is available, but arsenic of yet, the authorities has not made that request, truthful Jones said they are doing what they can.

“We cognize the wellness section tin lone bash truthful much, truthful we privation to marque definite that wrong this assemblage determination are aggregate sites to get the services that they need,” Jones said.

There are backstage investigating sites that are open, including 1 successful Neptune Beach wherever Telescope Health is offering drive-thru accelerated testing. But it’s not free. It costs $125, and currently, security is not accepted.

Various pharmacies besides connection testing, but you person to marque an appointment, which whitethorn not beryllium disposable for a fewer days.

Right now, the Duval County wellness section is offering escaped investigating from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. astatine its Central Health Plaza astatine 515 West 6th St. The wellness section is besides looking to grow its hours and perchance adhd Saturdays to its investigating schedule. Staffing is inactive an issue, and truthful far, the wellness section has not determined if and erstwhile that volition happen.