CommUnityCare begins asymptomatic testing

CommUnityCare Health Centers is partnering with Quest Diagnostics and Centene Corporation to provide free Covid-19 testing for people who display no symptoms of coronavirus. Quest will provide CommUnityCare with up to 1,000 test kits each week. CommUnityCare CEO Jaeson Fournier explained in a news release, “The prevalence of asymptomatic carriers is one of the biggest challenges we are currently facing during this pandemic – especially for at-risk populations. A carrier of the disease who doesn’t know they have it is more likely to pass it to others without even knowing it. One of our strongest weapons in combating the coronavirus pandemic is increased testing.” Dr. Alan Schalscha, chief medical officer of CommUnityCare, said, “Knowing the status of anyone who comes in for testing helps us to identify positive cases and quarantine them so that the spread is contained. Most importantly we want to inform and educate our community of their status so that they may take actions to protect their families or others who they may come in contact with on a daily basis.” Insurance plans will cover the cost of the tests. Uninsured individuals will be tested free of charge. No appointment is required at drive-up test sites. To find a test site near you, call CommUnityCare’s Covid-19 hotline at 512-978-8775.