As
part of their continuing commitment to help residents during the ongoing pandemic, the Burlington County Board is launching a new coronavirus testingprogram that will allow residents to get tested for COVID-19 without leaving
the safety of their homes.
AllBurlington County residents, students and persons working in the county will be
eligible for the at-home COVID-19 tests under a partnership between theFreeholders, Vault Medical Services of New Jersey, the Rutgers Clinical
Genomics Laboratory and the State of New Jersey.
Underthe program, eligible residents will register online and be sent a home testing
kit with instructions on how to collect a saliva sample and send it the Rutgerslab. Test results are expected to be returned within 72 hours.
“We
know testing is among the most critical tools at our disposal to prevent thespread of this horrible contagion, and with more and more of our residents
returning to work and school, demand for easy access testing is going toincrease,” said Dr. Herb Conaway, the director of the County Department of
Health. “At-home testing will help us meet demand with a faster, easier method.This is particularly important as the seasonal flu season approaches and people
spend more time indoors and the expected increase in COVID-19 activity arises.”
BurlingtonCounty was one of the first counties in the state to launch a COVID-19 testing
program when it began testing in March at a fixed testing site at the countyEmergency Services Complex in Westampton.
To
date, more than 8,000 residents and workers have been administered COVID-19tests through the County’s testing program.
“From
the very start of the pandemic, our board has taken a single-minded approachand mustered all our personnel, resources and energy towards helping our
residents weather this unprecedented crisis,” said Burlington County Boardmember Dan O’Connell, the board’s liaison to the Department of Health. “We were
among the very first counties to launch a testing program because we knew itwould be essential for our residents’ health and safety. We feel the same about
this testing expansion.”
Hometesting program
Eligibility
for testing is being expanded from the county’s prior testing clinics. Allcounty residents are eligible, along with students and people who work in the
county and interact with the public. However, children younger than 6 areineligible for home testing.
Under
the new program, residents seeking a home test should visit (www.homecovidtest.org)to enroll.
Residents
should also have their health insurance card handy. Federal rules require thecollection of insurance information to support the testing program. Under
federal law, all forms of public and private insurance must cover FDA-approvedCOVID-19 tests with no out-of-pocket costs to insured persons. Lack of
insurance will not prevent you from using at-home COVID-19 testing.
Aftereligibility is verified, residents will be emailed a testing code number and a
link to Vault’s webpage to request a county-funded test kit. The kit will beshipped overnight with instructions on how to schedule a Zoom tele-health
meeting with a certified health care worker who will virtually oversee andinstruct the resident about how to properly collect a saliva sample for
shipment to Vault and the Rutgers lab for testing.
Residentswill be notified of test results via email within 72 hours, according to Vault,
which has a similar home-based testing program established and running inPassaic County.
“We’re
excited to begin this new partnership with Vault and Rutgers to offer hometesting. We think this provides an easy and convenient option for our residents
who need testing, either because of a work requirement or because theirchildren have returned to school or even just for their own peace of mind,”
Conaway said.
Newtesting site at RCBC
Besides
the at-home testing, the County will partner with Vault to continue testing ata new fixed clinic site in Parking Lot 9 on the campus of Rowan College at
Burlington County in Mount Laurel.
Thecollege site is centrally located and is more easily accessible from major
highways like Interstate 295 and Route 38. Moving the fixed testing clinic toMount Laurel will also provide space outside the Health Department for the
County’s walk-up flu vaccine clinics.
“OurCOVID-19 testing program is one of the most important initiatives our County
has ever undertaken, and we’re proud to have a willing partner like RCBC tohelp us make testing even more accessible,” Conaway said. “This is how
governments are supposed to work together for the betterment of the residentsthey serve.”
“From
the beginning, the Rowan College at Burlington County community has been aleader in Burlington County’s effort to protect ourselves against COIVD-19 –
whether by donating medical supplies to front-line workers or our nursing studentswho volunteered at testing centers,” RCBC President Dr. Michael A. Cioce said.
“Sharing our campus and hosting a testing center will benefit residentsthroughout the county as well as provide a convenient location for our
students, faculty and staff who need a test.”
Testingat the new site will begin Tuesday Oct. 6 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Subsequent
clinics will be held every Tuesday and Thursday during those same hours.
Aswith home testing, residents should bring their health insurance card with them
on testing day due to the federal rules requiring the collection of insuranceinformation to support the testing program. Under federal law, all forms of
public and private insurance must cover FDA-approved COVID-19 tests with noout-of-pocket costs to insured persons. Lack of insurance will not prevent you
from accessing COVID-19 testing.
Registrationfor the testing will be performed on site so walk-ups are welcome. Residents
seeking tests are asked to wear masks. Because the testing will be performed onsaliva samples rather than nasal swabs, residents seeking tests should not eat,
drink, smoke, vape or chew gum at least 30 minutes before arriving at the testsite.
The
County and Vault will also conduct mobile testing clinics at locationsthroughout the county. Dates and locations for mobile clinics will be announced
at a later date.
Fundingfor the County’s testing program is being provided by the State of New Jersey
from a portion of the State’s federal aid from the CARES Act.
BurlingtonCounty received no CARES Act money directly because its population was slightly
below the federal law’s 500,000 population cutoff for direct funding. However,Gov. Murphy’s administration agreed to send Burlington County $3 million of its
federal funding for testing and an additional $565,000 in reimbursement forother expenses directly related to the health crisis.
O’Connell
said the County has continued to deliver services residents need and depend onwithout overburdening property taxpayers.
“From
free testing for our residents and distributing food and protective equipmentto offering loans to help small businesses, our County has done everything
possible to help our families and residents,” O’Connell said. “We’re proud ofour response, and even prouder that we managed it without overburdening our
residents. Partnerships like this one will allow us to continue that serviceand beat back this virus.”
Burlington County Board member Dan O’Connell speaks at a news conference Monday to announce the launch of a new home COVID-19 testing program and a new fixed testing clinic site at Rowan College at Burlington County.
Burlington County Department of Health Director Herb Conaway provides the details on the new home testing program and test kits.