Maine beefs up COVID response with 4 more test sites and $5M for hospitals, communities
As the pandemic continues across the state and the country, the Maine Department of Health and Human Services is expanding its "swab and send" testing sites for COVID-19 to include four new locations in Lincoln, Sanford, Skowhegan and Westbrook.
With 18 of the sites announced last week, Maine has launched 22 swab-and-send facilities, in addition to the roughly 40 other testing sites now in operation.
In a news release Tuesday announcing the new capacity, DHHS also said it will award $1 million in federal aid to 25 rural hospitals to increase their test processing capability.
“While Maine people have made great progress in mitigating the spread of this dangerous virus, we cannot let our guard down now,” Gov. Janet Mills said. “These positive steps build on our administration’s work to expand access to testing and to support municipalities as they fight on the front lines to keep people safe and healthy.”
The swab-and-send sites provide access to testing for residents, tourists, seasonal workers and other visitors to Maine. The new sites draw on $52.7 million in federal funding awarded to the state in May.
The sites will be at Penobscot Valley Hospital in Lincoln, York County Community Action Corp./Nasson Health Care in Sanford, Redington-Fairview General Hospital in Skowhegan, and at a location to be determined in Westbrook.
The Penobscot Valley Hospital location will begin its site on Monday. Westbrook will open next week, Redington-Fairview will begin offering testing in two to three weeks. The testing sites are free of charge, and specimens are sent for testing to a lab at the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Maine people are to be commended for keeping the state’s COVID-19 infection rates among the lowest in the nation, but we must continue our robust response to the pandemic,” said DHHS Commissioner Jeanne Lambrew. “The actions announced today will further expand access to testing for residents and visitors, position our rural hospitals to increase lab capacity at a critical time, and enhance the valuable work of Maine municipalities in promoting the health of their communities.”
The state has also added a second round of grants to support local COVID-19 public health, education and prevention efforts under the Keep Maine Healthy initiative.
Following the award of almost $9 million earlier this month to nearly 100 cities and towns, DHHS is now awarding an additional $4 million to help municipalities and tribal governments develop their own plans. The grants will cover expenses from Aug. 1 to Oct. 31.
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Can they comment on the expected turn around time of the tests? My understanding is the large national companies (LabCorp, Nordex etc) have long wait times b/c the outbreak in other parts of the country are affecting their workflow. If these sites are sending swabs to the Maine CDC do we expect a shorter turn around time since they shouldn't be as affected by national incidence?
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