2 Lexington COVID-19 test sites shut down after people billed for tests
Lexington has shut down two COVID-19 testing sites in the city after people who got tested started getting billed for those tests, according to a spokesperson from the mayor’s office.
COVID-19 testing at these sites was supposed to be free, though test administrators could bill insurance companies for patients who have insurance. But some people have been billed for the tests in recent days, according to the mayor’s office. The city didn’t provide any more information on who was getting charged.
“We are looking into the reason why,” said Susan Straub, a spokesperson for the mayor’s office. “We don’t have any firm answers yet. We are shutting down the Mayor’s Mobile Testing Program and the Bluegrass Community & Technical College sites.”
The city hoped the shutdowns would only be temporary “while this gets ironed out,” Straub said.
The company Sphere DX is conducting the testing. Sphere couldn’t be reached immediately for comment, but the city didn’t think the company was causing this issue.
“We have no reason to believe it’s Sphere,” Straub said.
The testing site at the Red Mile was part of Mayor Linda Gorton’s Mobile Neighborhood Testing Program, an initiative launched by Gorton to help ensure sufficient testing access in neighborhoods that had been disproportionately affected by COVID-19. The testing program has rotated sites previously.
The BCTC site was closed Monday. Lexington Emergency Management said the closure was due to winter weather. But the site remained closed Tuesday.
There were still 20 other testing sites expected to be in operation this week. A list of all test locations is available on the emergency management website at bereadylexington.com.
This story was originally published February 2, 2021 at 3:49 PM.