Taking COVID-19 Testing to the People 

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May 7, 2020 | Written by Pamela Saulsby, Public Information Officer

Taking COVID-Testing to the People

The Florida Department of Health in Leon County is proud to work alongside Florida A & M University and Bond Community Health Center in the fight against COVID-19

Since the free walk-up COVID-19 testing site opened on April 25 at FAMU's Bragg Memorial Stadium, more than 2,400 people have been tested.

The community's response has been so robust that the testing site is extending operations until at least May 14th. It may be extended longer on a weekly basis, depending on the traffic.

Residents who believe they have COVID-19 symptoms can make an appointment or walk-up for testing, The Leon County health department's support includes the appointment scheduling function for the testing site, along with outreach and education.

One of the things we know about COVID-19 is, you can’t understand it, unless you can test for it.  It’s also clear that it is incredibly important that everyone has access to testing.

We are proud as a public health agency to collaborate with our community partners and expand testing opportunities.

The data is showing that there are some areas in the Leon County region where people just aren’t getting tested.  Many of these people are in neighborhoods where we know we have a large number of high-risk individuals with serious chronic health conditions.  They suffer with conditions that not make them more likely to get COVID-19, but to have serious implications and could die from it.

All of our partners realized we had to take testing to the communities.

We are happy to reach deeper into neighborhoods to get people tested on-site… whether they are walking, driving, biking, scootering.  However they can get to the location is what’s important.

It’s an honor to be able to serve our communities and take testing directly to the people.

To find the most up-to-date information and guidance on COVID-19, please visit the Department of Health’s dedicated COVID-19 webpage.

For information and advisories from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), please visit the CDC COVID-19 website, this website is also available in Spanish and Creole. For more information about current travel advisories issued by the U.S. Department of State, please visit the travel advisory website.

 For any other questions related to COVID-19 in Florida, please contact the Department’s dedicated COVID-19 Call Center by calling 1-866-779-6121.  

The Call Center is available 24 hours per day.  Inquiries may also be emailed to COVID-19@flhealth.gov

FDOH-Leon has a dedicated COVID-19 helpline for medical questions regarding the virus. Residents may contact FDOH-Leon staff at (850) 404-6300 (option 1) Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

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