VNA Certified Medical Assistant Ali Robles provides a COVID-19 test kit to a local resident at the Red Bank Family YMCA, now a site for testing three days a week by the Visiting Nurse Association of Central New Jersey Health Center.
RED BANK – YMCA of Greater Monmouth County has joined forces with the Visiting Nurse Association of Central New Jersey’s Community Health Centers (VNACJ CHC) to offer COVID-19 testing at the Red Bank Family YMCA.
VNACJ CHC is now staffing drive-thru and walk-up, saliva-based testing at the Y for area residents concerned they may have been exposed to the coronavirus.
Gov. Phil Murphy and state health officials say increased and continued broad-based testing will help identify those who have been infected, help them get necessary treatment, and slow the spread of the virus.
“Local testing at the YMCA is another way our organization has solidified its commitment to serve the community during this pandemic, and we have partnered with the VNACJ Community Health Centers to provide area residents with convenient access to COVID-19 testing,” said Y president and CEO Laurie Goganzer.
Since the crisis started, the Y has offered emergency child care to essential workers, blood drives, food collection and distribution, as well as mental health services for children and adults throughout the pandemic.
Goganzer said the testing is another example of the “Y’s commitment to address the community’s critical needs during this uncharted and unparalleled public health crisis.”
CEO of VNACJ CHC Christopher Rinn said, “we are pleased to work with the YMCA to offer this essential testing to residents of the Greater Monmouth County area.”
Rinn noted that the saliva tests are less intrusive than the deep nasal swab tests that have been widely used since the coronavirus pandemic started. “They are safer for healthcare workers administering the procedure and they require less personal protective equipment than the deep nasal swab,” he added.
Red Bank Mayor Pasquale Menna said the borough of Red Bank “is grateful that our local Y and the VNA have teamed up to provide easy access to COVID-19 testing for our residents and those in neighboring towns.”
Residents interested in being tested at the Red Bank Family YMCA should call VNACJ CHC at 732-294-2540 for a telehealth screening or go to the website vnachc.org/contact-us to determine if they qualify for testing.
The test site at the Red Bank Y, located at 166 Maple Ave., is open by appointment only from 1 to 4 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Patients can drive through and will be given a kit through their car window. Walk- ers will be asked to sit on a bench outside of the Y. The testing takes approximately 15 minutes.
Results will be provided two to three days after the saliva screening.
Fees for the COVID-19 testing are on a sliding scale and/or based upon the individual’s health insurance coverage.
The article originally appeared in the June 11 – 17, 2020 print edition of The Two River Times.
