SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – American Medical Response (AMR) announced Monday that the “Stop the Spread” COVID-19 testing site at the Eastfield Mall will be indefinitely closed this Saturday.
More than 130 AMR frontline workers administered 455,031 tests over the past 2.5 years, with more than 225,000 of those tests administered to Springfield residents.
“I want to thank Patrick Pickering, Northeast Vice President of Operations, Patrick Leonardo, Northeast Regional Director, and the dedicated team at AMR for their efforts throughout the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Mayor Domenic J. Sarno. “Thanks to their coordinated efforts offering free COVID-19 testing at the Eastfield Mall here in Springfield as part of the ‘Stop the Spread’ initiative, thousands and thousands of individuals and their families were able to get their results within 24-72 hours, where they could take any and all appropriate measures needed to care for their health and wellbeing. AMR also partnered with my administration, working closely with Health and Human Services Commissioner Helen Caulton-Harris to establish strategic neighborhood testing sites across our city at the height of the pandemic and before the vaccine was available. Simply put, AMR has been a tremendous corporate and community partner for our Springfield, helping to keep our residents and business community safe. Now, with Governor Healey announcing an end date to the state’s COVID-19 Public Health Emergency on May 11th, and with at-home testing kits readily available and an ample supply of the vaccine and booster shots accessible for everyone, the need for AMR’s testing site at the Eastfield Mall is no longer necessary and we can begin the process of phasing out this operation. Again, I cannot thank AMR enough for their herculean efforts working with my administration to keep everyone informed and as safe as possible. Thank you.”
The City of Springfield Department of Health and Human Services (SDHHS) will continue their partnership with AMR in neighborhoods with low vaccination rates. SDHHS will also continue distributing at home test kits on Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the SDHHS office at 311 State Street.