Hunterdon County COVID-19 test site to remain open through April 30
County Using Federal Grant Funds For Operations
FLEMINGTON, NJ (Hunterdon County) – With the demand for COVID-19 testing remaining high in Hunterdon County, the Board of Commissioners on the recommendation of the County Health Department, recently approved continuing the test site on Reaville Avenue in Flemington through April 30, using grant funds.
Board Director John E. Lanza said, “The demand remains high from individuals needing tests for work or school, for travel, to visit loved ones in the hospital, or for people who wish to be careful about spreading the virus at home or work. The testing facility also offers a resource to businesses, so that both vaccination and testing can be options for employees, particularly for those who have a medical or religious reason that prohibits vaccination.”
“It has been reported by the state that the Hunterdon County testing facility is the busiest of the fifteen sites established statewide. The site, funded by the state and with federal grant funds, has administered over 1700 tests since it opened on February 3rd,” Lanza said.
The clinic is available to all who live or work in Hunterdon County; Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Thursday from 12:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
The state which had been funding the cost of management of the test site by Vault Medical Services will terminate that support on March 26. The county will continue the site for five additional weeks using $250,000 in federal CARES Act funds on account with Vault and federal American Rescue Funds dedicated for use for pandemic response costs.
Health Department Director Karen DeMarco advised the board that with recent accounts of surges in various parts of the world, and spring break and holiday gatherings and travels occurring in the next few weeks, it is expected there will be an increased demand for testing.
“The continuation of the clinic is in line with my call, at the Commissioners’ Reorganization meeting on January 4th, for increased access for our residents to testing and I congratulate the Health Department for achieving that goal. Earlier in the year when home tests were hard to find, long before the federal government decided to distribute test kits, the Hunterdon County Health Department distributed thousands of PCR and rapid tests via the drive through program. Test kits were distributed to those in the Meals on Wheels program and to the various food pantries, through the County’s Human Services Department, to rescue and fire volunteers, to municipal governments, and to county employees,” Lanza said.
“The Department moved with great efficiency to open the test clinic, funded by the state, on Reaville Avenue. And let me again express thanks to the landlord Hunterdon Shopping Center Partners, LLC, for charging a very economical rent, recognizing the program as a public service. I said on January 4th that Hunterdon County’s Health Department has been in the forefront of protecting our residents and delivering important services throughout the pandemic. And called for their mission to be continuation of that high level of service in 2022. With the extending of the test clinic, at no cost to the county, I would say the Health Department continues to accomplish that mission,” Lanza said.
