MANATEE COUNTY – Manatee County residents now have access to six COVID-19 test sites and more test kits are now available.
On Tuesday, county commissioners authorized County Administrator Cheri Coryea to spend up to $100,000 to purchase COVID-19 test kits and the personal protective equipment needed to administer the tests.
On Thursday, the county issued a press release that said nearly 800 testing kits had already been obtained.
According to the press release, county leaders worked with MCR Health to purchase 500 test kits. This means county residents can now get tested at five of MCR Health’s locations in Manatee County.
On Thursday, the Manatee County Department of Health announced a second round of drive-thru testing will take place at the Bradenton Area Convention Center next week. The convention center is located at 1 Haben Blvd. in Palmetto.
Serving up to 80 patients per day, the drive-thru testing will take place Wednesday, April 29 through Friday, May 1.
“I want our residents to know that much more is being done to secure additional testing for coming weeks. We will continue to do all it takes to get as many people tested as necessary to see a decrease in COVID-19 cases in our community,” Coryea said in Thursday’s press release.
MCR Health testing
MCR Health is offering COVID-19 collection kits at five Manatee County locations. According to the press release, patient fees for the testing and any associated costs will be determined at the time of the visit.
On Tuesday, Coryea said it costs $107 to get tested at a local MCR Health facility. Coryea said there is a co-pay for those with health insurance and a sliding fee scale for those without insurance.
The five MCR Health locations in Manatee County are:
- East Manatee Health and Wellness Center 1312 Manatee Ave. E., Bradenton, 941-708-8700;
- Southeast Family Healthcare Center, 919 53rd Ave. E., Bradenton, 941-751-8100;
- Southwest Health Center, 5325 26th St. W., Bradenton, 941-752-7173;
- Lawton Chiles Pediatrics, 1515 26th Ave. E., Bradenton, 941-708-8600;
- Edgar H. Price Family & Children Healthcare Center, 12271 U.S. Hwy. 301 N., Parrish, 941-776-4050.
According to Thursday’s press release, Public Safety Director Jake Saur said MCR Health locations are ideal for younger people who are not typically sick and who may not have a primary care physician, and also for the uninsured or under-insured who might have difficulty finding a physician to provide them with a prescription to get tested.
Drive-thru testing
In response to requests from county officials, the state has provided COVID-19 specimen collection kits to the Department of Health (DOH) in Manatee County. These test kits will be used for drive-through testing at the Bradenton Area Convention Center in Palmetto.
The drive-thru testing site will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. from Wednesday, April 29 through Friday, May 1.
The Department of Health has 240 specimen collection kits available for the three-day drive-thru testing session and the department will schedule up to 80 testing appointments per day.
An additional 60 test kits will be withheld for contact tracing or to test those at higher risk due to potential exposure.
Visitors to the drive-thru testing site must have a prescription to be tested for COVID-19. They must also make a testing appointment in advance by calling the Manatee County Health Department at 941-748-0747.
Those who seek testing at the drive-thru location must:
- Be in a vehicle. No walk-up patients will be seen;
- Drivers must remain in their vehicle at all times;
- Drivers must present a photo ID and a prescription for specimen collection that is written by their health care provider – and the name on the ID or proof of address and the name on the prescription must match.
During Tuesday’s meeting, Public Safety Director Jake Saur said testing conducted by the health department using test kits received from the state must be done at no cost to the patient. On Friday, Manatee County Information Outreach Manager Nick Azzara confirmed that next week’s drive-thru testing will be conducted free of charge.
Anyone in Manatee County who believes they may have COVID-19 should call the Manatee Health Line at (941) 242-6649 before calling 911 or visiting a hospital emergency room.
