UW-Parkside Joins System Campuses in Offering Free COVID Testing
Sign up online and testing will be available starting Monday November 9 at the Sports and Activity Center. Note: COVID testing is no longer available at the Sports and Activity Center. As of September 15, 2021, it is available by appointment at Tallent Hall. When you schedule your appointment, check for location.
University of Wisconsin-Parkside is joining with UW System campuses and it’s federal and state partners to offer new COVID-19 “rapid-results” testing to UWP students, faculty, and staff.
“Starting Monday, November 9, anyone in our UW-Parkside learning community can sign up and get tested – free,” said UW-Parkside Chancellor Deborah Ford. “With the recent increases in COVID cases in Wisconsin, we want to do our part to try and flatten that curve and we think this new testing will help do that.” We are encouraging all commuter students, faculty and staff to sign up for this free testing.
The “surge testing” effort was announced by UW System Interim President Tommy Thompson on Wednesday. Approximately 250,000 tests have been made available to all UW campuses and will help amplify testing already occurring at UW-Parkside and other universities.
“Our universities are perfectly positioned to help Wisconsin combat the spread of COVID-19,” Thompson said. “This is the Wisconsin Idea in action, and a recognition of our existing work to keep our students, faculty, and staff as safe as possible during the pandemic.
“This surge testing plan is a terrific example of cooperation by the federal, state, and local governments to urgently respond to the outbreak and that UW System is pleased to lead.”
In partnership with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), this is the first time a federal surge testing operation will use Abbott BinaxNOW rapid point-of-care tests that provide a result within 15 minutes. The testing provides additional temporary federal support to areas that have seen a recent spike in coronavirus cases.
Individuals can register for a free test at https://www.doineedacovid19test.com, proceed to the testing site, administer the test themselves under supervision, and label it for processing. The new tests will be administered by eTrueNorth, under contract with the federal government, at the Sports and Activity Center on the UW-Parkside campus. Tests will be available daily starting Monday, November 9, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday – Thursday and Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m
Participants will retrieve results by logging into the COVID test portal after receiving an email that informs them that their results are ready.
Individuals do not have to be experiencing symptoms or be a close contact of someone with COVID-19 to get a test.
The state Department of Health Services will be supplying an additional 30,000 PCR tests as part of the effort. Individuals who test negative using the BinaxNOW test but also are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 or who test positive but do not have symptoms are urged to get a confirmatory PCR test.
“So far our Parkside community has done a great job wearing their masks, washing their hands and watching their distance,” said Chancellor Ford. “We’re now asking everyone to not only keep up the good work, but come to campus and get tested,” said Ford.