Update 4/2/20: The county reports that 266 tests have been administered at the site, and says also that no one has yet been turned away because of a shortage of test kits.
Mercer County, in collaboration with Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton, Capital Health System, St. Francis Medical Center and the Trenton Health Team, will open an appointment-only, drive-up testing site for COVID-19 on Tuesday, March 31, at Quaker Bridge Mall in Lawrence, the county announced yesterday.
The testing center is by appointment only for symptomatic Mercer County residents age 18 or older who have a prescription from their primary health care provider. If you are symptomatic for COVID-19 and want to be tested, contact your PCP.
The testing center, which initially will be open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“When it comes to setting up a testing site, we face the same challenges as do other jurisdictions, such as securing testing kits and the personal protective equipment for staff,” said county executive Brian Hughes. “I thank the County’s Office of Emergency Management, our health care partners, Quaker Bridge Mall management and the leadership at Lawrence Township for clearing the hurdles necessary to get this site operating.”
Bio-Reference Laboratories, based in Elmwood Park, will provide testing.
To be eligible for testing, an individual must be examined by a PCP. The PCP will determine the need for the test based on symptoms. The government is still insisting that no one should be tested without being symptomatic.
If primary care physicians deem a test to be necessary, they will fax a prescription to the Mercer County call center with the patient’s phone number. Staff will then call the patient, take registration information and schedule an appointment, providing testing site instructions.
For the health, safety and security of staff at the site, patients will not be permitted to leave their vehicles. Walk-ups are not permitted.
If you believe you may have symptoms of COVID-19, the State of New Jersey’s COVID-19 Information Hub provides a self-assessment tool that will help you determine whether you should be tested.
