Brown County free Covid-19 testing site opens Friday

DE PERE, Wis. (WBAY) - Brown County officials are looking to ease the workload on area hospitals and an announcement made on Tuesday by leaders is one way of doing that.

“This has been a conversation within public health at the county for a number of weeks, and we’re just very appreciative that [the Wisconsin Department of Health Services] has brought forward this resource,” Brown County Executive Troy Streckenbach said.

That resource is a Covid-19 testing site at the Brown County Fairgrounds, offering free PCR tests with the capability of administering a maximum of 2,000 tests daily.

“It’s important that we have testing for those who have mild or no symptoms at all, so that’s what this site is going to provide,” Brown County Public Health Officer Anna Nick said.

The pop-up testing location was done in partnership with Accelerated Clinical Laboratories, DHS, and Brown County. It will be open for at least three months, according to Nick.

“In the event that you’re traveling for spring break, and you need asymptomatic testing for wherever you may be traveling to, this is a great opportunity for that. We’ll get you in, get your results in 24 hours,” Stephanie Smith, a strategist with Brown County Public Health, said.

Officials say the process should take about five minutes for walk-ins.

Action 2 News has previously reported on the testing company Center for COVID Control and it’s now closed site in Darboy. The company is under investigation by several state attorneys general, including Washington, Illinois, and Minnesota.

RELATED: “This place does not care about safety,” Center for COVID Control employee claims

Brown County Public Health Officer Anna Nick says Accelerated has been vetted.

“This is a site that’s being funded by the department of health services in partnership with a public health entity as well as the lab who was chosen to do these. So as far as trust, this is a state vetted vendor,” Nick said.

The Brown County Fairgrounds is located at 1500 Fort Howard Ave in De Pere. The testing site will open on Friday, February 4 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and then reopen over the weekend from 8 a.m. to noon.

Next week, the clinic will resume its normal hours of operation of Wednesday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday-Sunday from 8 a.m. to noon.

You don’t need to pre-register for a PCR test, walk-ins are welcomed. For those interested in registering beforehand, however, here’s a link to do just that: register.covidconnect.wi.gov.

For test results, you’re encouraged to call DHS at 866-419-6988. Officials warn to wait at least 24 hours before calling.

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