Lexington’s COVID-19 testing site reopens Wednesday. Here are the details.
A popular drive-up Lexington coronavirus testing program will return next week after it was temporarily shut down amid questions about whether patients were billed.
The testing program will restart at Bluegrass Community and Technical College’s Newtown Campus, 500 Newtown Pike, on Wednesday.
“We are thrilled to reopen our BCTC testing location,” Mayor Linda Gorton said on Friday. “Testing is still an important part of fighting COVID-19, and this is an opportunity to support our schools as they try to safely maintain in-person classes. We’ve started a new testing partnership with Wild Health, which will allow free, drive-up access for anyone who needs to be tested for COVID-19.”
The BCTC site and a mobile testing program were closed in early February over potential billing problems. The mobile testing program was launched last year to reach populations and areas of the city hit particularly hard by COVID-19.
During a Tuesday council work session, Gorton said that the city hit pause after receiving reports that people were receiving bills from insurance companies. However, those were not bills but an explanation of benefits. No one was billed.
Coronavirus tests are paid for through federal coronavirus relief funding.
Testing will be held 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday at BCTC. No appointment is currently needed.
Wild Health, which will administer the tests, offers similar testing at the University of Kentucky’s Kroger Field through a partnership with the state. There is no cost to the patient at the BCTC site. Health insurance information is not needed. Results are generally available in 24-48 hours, city officials said Friday.
For COVID-19 vaccinations, registration is available, by appointment, through the Kentucky Regional Vaccination Center at Kentucky Horse Park; UK HealthCare at Kroger Field; Lexington-Fayette County Health Department at Consolidated Baptist Church; and Baptist Health Lexington at Lexington Green; and Walgreens’ various locations.
For information on COVID-19 vaccines go to: lexingtonky.gov/vaccines.
This story was originally published March 19, 2021 at 4:40 PM.
