A high-volume, drive-through COVID-19 testing center will open in Dauphin County on Wednesday, it was announced today.
In a news release, Penn State Health said that the mass-testing site will begin operations tomorrow at 50% capacity, with full capacity on Thursday.
Tests will be offered for free on the campus of the Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in Hershey. The federal government-run site is meant to offer a central location to test people throughout south-central PA.
“Testing is an important way to help keep people with COVID-19 from having further person-to-person interactions that spread illness,” said Deborah Berini, president of the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, in a statement. “With our state and federal partners, Penn State Health is proud to be part of this important effort to reduce the number of cases and to support our community.”
Nearly two weeks ago, Penn State Health announced that a high-volume, drive-through testing site would open soon on the medical center campus, but declined to state the exact opening day.
The site will allow people to remain in their cars while being tested and to administer their own nasal swabs for testing. The average turnaround time for results will be 48 to 72 hours, according to Penn State Health.
The site will be open from noon to 8 p.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. It will be located in Lot L, which is adjacent to 90 Hope Dr. (accessible from Cherry Drive) on the Hershey Medical Center campus.
An exception to the schedule is the first day, Feb. 2, when the center will be open from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The community site will be able to provide testing for as many as 1,000 people per day, said Penn State Health.
People may register for a testing appointment here. Pre-registration is strongly encouraged, though on-site registration also will be available.
The federal government will fund clinical staff, testing supplies and laboratory support associated with bringing in the “Increasing Community Access to Testing” (ICATT) team. In addition to hosting the site, Penn State Health will provide resources and operational support.
This story has been updated to reflect the Feb. 2 schedule and to clarify the registration requirements.
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