New drive-thru Covid testing site opens in SE Ocala

Dane Surdam, 12, gets a nasal swab from his mother, Julie, during COVID-19 testing in the parking lot of the First Baptist Church in Ocala, Fla. on Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2021.

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Posted October 15, 2021 | By Matthew Cretul | Senior Health and Governmental Reporter
matthew@ocalagazette.com

The Florida Department of Health – Marion County (FLDOH-MC) partnered with Covid Test Florida, First Baptist Church of Ocala and Marion County Emergency Management to open a new, free drive-thru testing facility in Ocala earlier this week.

The new testing site on the campus of the First Baptist Church of Ocala opened on Monday, Oct. 11 and offers free 2-day results to students, teachers, first-responders and veterans, as well as same and next-day PCR testing options for a fee.

“It is partnerships like these that help demonstrate Marion County’s many strengths,” said Department of Health in Marion County Administrator Mark Lander in a press release announcing the partnership and new site.

Kayla Hall, the director of marketing for Genesis Reference Labs, the company working with Covid Test Florida to test the samples, is excited about the partnership and said everybody at the site is “ready and eager to serve the community.”

Dr. Dave Kuhn, who is working with Covid Test Florida, said the site startup on Monday “went very smoothly…we have streamlined our process of getting the customers through the registration and tested in a quick and timely fashion.”

Students and employees of Marion County public schools who require tests are referred to the FLDOH-MC for testing options, and the FLDOH-MC in turn refers individuals in need of a test to one of the two testing sites in the county.

“When students (and their parents and guardians) receive paperwork from the school health clinic, these documents encourage them to call the Florida Department of Health-Marion County for testing site dates, times and locations (because they vary),” said Kevin Christian, a spokesman for MCPS in an email.

In addition to the First Baptist Church site, the county is also offering testing at the Florida Horse Park.

According to the FLDOH-MC, Statlab Mobile, a COVID-19 mobile clinical testing service, is offering free drive-thru testing from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. every Monday through Thursday at the Florida Agriculture Center and Horse Park, 11008 South Hwy 475, Ocala. People who would like to be tested must enter through the County Road 475 public entrance.

The FLDOH-MC will continue to test at the Florida Horse Park site “as long as the demand for testing warrants keeping the site active,” said William Thompson, a spokesman for the FLDOH-MC. “As of now, we don’t have a projected end date.”

Covid Test Florida signed a six-month agreement with First Baptist Church, and while COVID numbers in Marion County, and the entire state, have been trending down in recent weeks, Kuhn says the new site is designed to offer a centralized testing location and is “equipped and ready for much higher volume should the community face another surge this winter,” Kuhn said.

In addition to the free two-day testing the site offers same- and next-day options on receiving testing results. Same-day results incur a $100 courier fee for the general public and a $50 fee for students, teachers, first responders and veterans. Next-day results incur a $50 courier fee for the general public and a $25 fee for students, teachers, first responders and veterans. Two day results are $25 for the general public and free for students, teachers, first responders, and veterans.

According to the FLDOH-MC, individuals should bring a valid photo ID. Minors under age 18 will only be tested if they are accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. People should be prepared to stay in their vehicles while awaiting testing; restroom facilities will not be available. Only people who are being tested should be in the vehicle, with the exception of parents, guardians or caregivers. No pets are permitted in the vehicle during tests.

Testing will be available at First Baptist Church of Ocala, located at 2801 S.E. Maricamp Road from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

For more information, call the Department of Health in Marion County at 352-644-2590 or Covid Test Florida at (866) 826-8430.