Beebe Healthcare Tests Approximately 600 in Georgetown at Expanded COVID-19 Testing Site
Schedule updated for Friday due to weather concerns
Beebe Healthcare, in partnership with the Division of Public Health and other healthcare agencies, tested approximately 600 people at its expanded mobile testing event on Wednesday in Georgetown.
Available were a combination of rapid antibody tests, which made available by the Division of Public Health, and tells if someone has been exposed to the COVID-19 virus and has developed antibodies, and a PCR test through nasal or oral swabs, which determines if someone is actively infected. Swab test results will be communicated in four to six days after processing in a lab. Instructions and education for what to do after testing were given to all participants.
Beebe’s testing site was the first to launch under the governor’s and DPH’s plan to aggressively expand COVID-19 testing in Sussex County. The event in Georgetown ran 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, with cars lining up before the start time. Additional testing events will occur Friday, 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. near Beebe’s Georgetown Health Campus on Biden Avenue. Please note the hours of Friday’s testing event were changed for safety purposed, due expected storms. The testing route itself will start in the parking lot of JD Shucker’s. People coming for this round of free testing do not need an appointment or a doctor’s order.
“I’m so proud of the dozens of Beebe team members who provided this service to the community and we could not have done it so quickly without the partnership of the other agencies,” said Bobby Gulab, MD, MBA, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Beebe Medical Group. “Expanding the testing access in a hotspot helps reduce community spread by educating the public on how their actions could spread the virus along with preventative measures, which will keep them and their families healthy, and hopefully out of the hospital.”
Beebe collaborated with the state Division of Public Health, La Red Health Center, Westside Family Healthcare, Nemours Pediatrics, the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Georgetown and the Georgetown Police Department. JD Shucker’s graciously allowed the use of a large portion of their parking lot for this important public health event.
Those who needed face-to-face care yesterday were seen at Beebe’s COVID Positive Care Center, located at the Georgetown Walk-In in the neighboring lot.
“The purpose of the COVID-19 coordinated care model Beebe developed is to tackle the virus from all angles,” said David Tam, MD, MBA, FACHE, President & CEO of Beebe Healthcare. “This means access to screening, testing, and follow-up care. The model is intentionally in the outpatient setting, so that medical professional can identify people with the virus early enough to do what we can to prevent the progression of the disease before someone needs to be hospitalized. Additionally, I thank all who made yesterday a success, and I know Beebe looks forward to providing this service to the community in the coming days.”