By Matt Martinez
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
This story was originally published by Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service, where you can find other stories reporting on fifteen city neighborhoods in Milwaukee. Visit milwaukeenns.org.
Lines at city sites, such as this one in Menomonee Valley, have gotten longer since the holiday season. (Photo by Matt Martinez)
As COVID-19 cases continue to surge in the city, here are resources you should know.
Katie Lepak, project officer with the Milwaukee County Public Health Collaborative, a COVID-19 response effort by public and private partners in Milwaukee County, said that HealthyMKE.com remains a key resource for finding testing options in Milwaukee.
The website is regularly updated with information on where people can get tested or vaccinated. It can be filtered by location to show the options closest to you.
Health centers and testing sites
Progressive Community Health Centers offers drive-up testing to the public from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday at its Lisbon Avenue location, 3522 W. Lisbon Ave. Those seeking tests must call ahead and make an appointment at 414-882-2040.
Outreach Community Health Centers provides testing by appointment at 210 W. Capitol Drive. Call 414-727-6320 to schedule an appointment.
Milwaukee Health Services provides testing at the MLK Heritage Health Center, 2555 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, and Isaac Coggs Heritage Health Center, 8200 W. Silver Spring Drive. Call 414-372-8080 for the MLK Heritage Health Center and 414-760-3900 for the Isaac Coggs Heritage Health Center.
The Gerald L. Ignace Indian Health Center, 930 W. Historic Mitchell St., offers PCR and rapid COVID-19 tests by appointment only. It is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday and Wednesday; 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday; and 8 a.m. to noon on Friday. Call 414-383-9526.
Drive-through tests are available at the JAK Foundation, 7841 W. Appleton Ave., Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. No appointment is needed. The tests are provided by Hearts Need Healing and Apollo Lab.
Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers offers testing for established patients only. Call 414-672-1353 for availability.
The Milwaukee Health Department has sites at the Northwest Health Center, 7630 W. Mill Road; South Side Health Center, 1639 S. 23rd St.; and Menomonee Valley site, 2401 W. St. Paul Ave.
The Northwest Health Center and South Side Health Center are open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday and Friday; noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday; and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays. The Menomonee Valley site is open from noon to 6 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday. You can save time by taking the screening questionnaire by clicking here.
At-home testing
Free at-home tests are now available at covidtests.gov or https://special.usps.com/testkits. Each household can get four free at-home COVID tests. The tests should arrive within seven to 12 days.
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services offers an at-home testing kit program in partnership with Vault Medical Services. Wisconsin residents can order a COVID-19 sample kit that will be shipped to their home, then collect a sample and mail it back to the state to be tested.
A Zoom call will be set up for anyone who receives a kit, and a representative can walk you through the process. Participants should get their results back 24 to 48 hours later.
This is free to Wisconsin residents. The state will pay for any costs not covered by insurance.
Some things to know
• Lepak said people should stay home and keep to themselves as much as possible while awaiting test results.
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also recently modified its guidance, stating that people who were exposed to COVID-19 should quarantine for five days instead of 10.
• Health officials urge the public not to seek testing at emergency rooms.
• You do not need to be insured to receive a COVID-19 test at the locations mentioned above.