Tennessee National Guard medical personnel will be in Hamilton County on Thursday and Friday to help the Chattanooga Housing Authority provide free, voluntary COVID-19 testing to families and residents at four CHA communities, Gov. Bill Lee's administration announced Wednesday.
"This will be our fourth testing event with housing authorities in Tennessee's major metropolitan areas in our effort to expand COVID-19 testing in our state," said state Health Commissioner Lisa Piercey, noting the effort will be conducted by Lee's Unified Command Group.
She said officials "will continue to build relationships and prioritize plans on how we reduce barriers to COVID-19 testing for Tennesseans who are especially vulnerable to the virus."
CHA testing locations on Thursday be open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., in the neighborhoods of East Lake Courts, 2600 4th Ave., and Emma Wheeler Homes, 4900 Edinburg Drive.
On Friday, testing locations will be open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the neighborhoods of College Hill Courts, with testing at the James A. Henry School, 1300 Grove St., and Greenwood Terrace Apartments, which will have a drive-thru testing option, 3056 Dee Drive.
Medics with the Tennessee National Guard at each neighborhood site will collect nasal swabs from those who voluntarily agree to a COVID-19 test.
Participants should receive their test results within 72 hours, depending on test processing volume at laboratories.
Information will be provided to participants at the testing locations on what they can expect after being tested. This information is also available at bit.ly/tntestinfo.
UCG has organized three previous COVID-19 testing events with housing authorities in Knoxville, Memphis, and Nashville.
Any Tennessean with health concerns, or who has concerns about the health of a family member, can obtain a free COVID-19 test any day of the week, at any county health department. Find testing locations at bit.ly/tntesthere.