The Health Care District of Palm Beach County is expanding its ongoing COVID-19 testing for residents in the Glades communities. Since March 16, the Health Care District has offered COVID-19 testing on a walk-up basis, without an appointment outside of the C. L. Brumback Primary Care Clinic at Lakeside Medical Center, located at 39200 Hooker Highway in Belle Glade. As of April 21, appointments are now be necessary and can be made by calling (561) 642-1000. Patients are able to access the new drive-thru testing lane or, if they do not have a vehicle, can walk up to the existing site. Individuals can be any age, and need not be symptomatic to be registered and tested, but all individuals desiring walk-up or drive-thru testing must call in advance to be scheduled. While asymptomatic patients will be tested, we highly recommend they only schedule as drive-thru patients due to the risk of contracting COVID-19 while waiting to be tested. Results will be communicated by a Health Care District provider as soon as they are available.

“Since the end of last month, the Health Care District’s dedicated clinical staff, command center team and call center representatives have successfully operated the county’s first state-sponsored drive-thru test site at the FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach,” said Darcy J. Davis, Health Care District CEO. “At the same time, we have continued to run our testing sites at our primary care clinics in Lantana and Belle Glade. We are proud to announce the addition of a drive-thru lane in Belle Glade in order to expand testing to ensure families in the Glades communities, especially those who have limited or no access to transportation, are able to receive testing on foot and by car.”
 
Thanks to the support of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, the State Department of Emergency Management and on-site assistance from the Florida National Guard and Palm Beach County, the Health Care District plans to add a drive-thru lane at Lakeside Medical Center, the Health Care District’s acute-care teaching hospital in the Glades. The Health Care District has worked diligently on logistics, training and scheduling with county Emergency Management staff to ensure the Belle Glade test site can increase testing capacity to approximately 150 patients a day. Health Care District personnel worked last week with Palm Beach County engineers to plan the traffic flow of the expanded site, which has tested over 300 patients since it opened last month. The county’s public bus service, Palm Tran, has a stop in front of the hospital.
 
“It’s been clear over the years that the Health Care District stands committed to serving the health needs of residents and visitors in our rural, western communities,” said Tammy Jackson-Moore, who represents the Glades region on the Health Care District Board and also serves as a Glades community advocate. “I am proud to see the Health Care District put even more resources toward expanding this vital testing initiative.”