LCMC Health, City of New Orleans, and LSUHSC partner to offer COVID-19 testing to the community

Testing Sites Info

Grass-roots community outreach will serve New Orleans communities

New Orleans, LA – LCMC Health, the New Orleans Health Department, and Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center (LSUHSC) will be conducting a mobile testing campaign for COVID-19 across the metro area over the coming weeks. The mobile campaign will bring walk-up testing to neighborhoods that have been heavily affected by COVID-19, with the goal of identifying early cases. The sites will be selected to provide testing outreach to communities that may have had limited access to drive-up testing.

“We know that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to light the longstanding health disparities facing our community. LCMC Health and our partners are committed to bringing a testing model that meets communities where they are,” said Dr. John Heaton, LCMC Health President of Clinical and System Operations.

“Through this partnership with LCMC and LSUHSC, we are proud to be able to provide accessible testing to communities that may need increased access,” said Dr. Jennifer Avegno, Director of the New Orleans Health Department. “We encourage residents in these communities with any symptom history or who have exposure concerns to come get tested.”

“LSU Health New Orleans is providing faculty clinicians from our Schools of Medicine and Nursing, as well as residents and medical students, to collect the samples,” says Dr. Larry Hollier, LSU Health New Orleans Chancellor. “They eagerly volunteered to participate in this community endeavor. As we know, testing is key to managing COVID-19 and the mitigation efforts that will eventually lead to our ability to safely resume normal activities.”

The first tests will be administered at Xavier University, Tuesday, April 21-Friday, April 24, from
8:00 am-4 pm or until the daily maximum of 250 tests is reached. Entrance to the testing area will be near the corner of Broadway and Stroelitz, in the parking lot near the Convocation Center.

"During this public health crisis, Xavier has been and will continue serving to ensure that all in our community, who have been affected by COVID-19, receive needed health care services," said Dr. Reynold Verret, President at the Xavier University of Louisiana. “We are happy to partner with the city to be the first community mobile testing site in New Orleans and to be of service to the community as a whole."

A person 18 years of age or older who believes he or she may have been recently exposed to COVID-19 or recently had symptoms of the virus is encouraged to get tested. Results are expected to be online or delivered within two to three days.

This outreach will offer robust testing using the version developed by Roche and processed at University Medical Center New Orleans. There will also be on-site counseling on test results and other social services.

These services will be offered at no cost to the citizens of our community, in large measure to a generous donation of funds and testing equipment from Hyundai Auto that was obtained through the office of Congressman Cedric Richmond. Outreach and testing will continue for the next few weeks at other sites around the city, with the information of those sites and dates posted at www.ready.nola.gov.