HSC partners with city, UT Southwestern and others to open free testing sites

April 24, 2020
COVID-19

Free community COVID-19 testing sites for qualifying individuals are opening in the Fort Worth area through partnerships with the City of Fort Worth, Tarrant County Public Health, The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth and UT Southwestern Medical Center.

Community testing sites will be opening across Tarrant County starting Friday, April 24. The first sites to open will include one near the Fort Worth hospital district and one in Arlington. Beginning April 26, locations and appointment information for the testing sites will be available at: http://fortworthtexas.gov/COVID-19/prevention.

“HSC is proud to lead the medical response for this effort in Fort Worth and Tarrant County along with our partners at UT Southwestern’s Moncrief Cancer Institute,” said HSC President Michael R. Williams, DO, MD, MBA. “Our HSC students, staff and faculty have stepped up in a very big way to provide on-site support services for first responders, and now the entire Fort Worth community. We are very proud to continue to add value and bring testing to our community as a whole with a special focus on our underserved communities.”

Said Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price, “From Day One, we have known that testing would be a critical tool in the fight against COVID-19. I am proud of the work being done at our Joint Emergency Operations Center, as our City staff has worked tirelessly to get more testing centers set up. And I am so grateful for the community partners who have stepped up to make these new sites a reality.”

Community testing sites provide a free testing option for individuals that meet prescreening requirements. The sites will operate drive-through by appointment only for individuals that meet qualifications:

Experiencing COVID-19 symptoms
Resides within Tarrant County
Has vehicle access
Health insurance is not required

Additional community-based testing sites will open in different areas of Fort Worth and Tarrant County in the coming weeks.

Additional testing options by private facilities, including other free options, are also still available. Individuals who need COVID-19 testing, but do not qualify for the free testing site, can view a list of testing facilities operating in the Fort Worth area on the city website.

When patients can be tested, identified and isolated, the viral spread can be better contained. Testing is an important next step in this emergency response. However, it does not alleviate the need to follow public health recommendations like social distancing, washing hands and wearing face masks when appropriate.

“It is a privilege for UT Southwestern’s Moncrief Cancer Institute to lead this effort with the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth, said Keith Argenbright, MD, Institute Director. “We have more than a decade of experience in public health screening programs that reach the most vulnerable in our community. While we are focused on cancer screenings, our expertise in providing health screenings for large populations in medically underserved areas is a natural fit for building Tarrant County’s COVID-19 testing facilities. We are pleased to have the opportunity to serve our community during this time of great need.”

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