The Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC) is making changes to its free, weekend COVID-19 testing schedule.
The Haines Health Center will continue to offer testing in Haines on Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. but, moving forward, will no longer offer testing on Sundays. It will continue offering free tests on Tuesdays, 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. in Klukwan.
“There have been a few changes with the free testing because the Indian Health Service funding has been exhausted,” clinic administrator Stephanie Pattison said.
In July, SEARHC received a CARES Act-funded U.S. Indian Health Service grant, allowing it to offer testing, free of charge, in the communities it serves. SEARHC has had to scale back this effort after running through the funds sooner than expected. The organization has decided to continue free testing in Haines, Klukwan, Skagway and a few other small communities in Southeast Alaska, a cost it will cover on its own.
Pattison said the decision to limit testing to Saturdays was also influenced by use patterns. “(We had) historically low numbers on Sundays,” she said.
Saturday testing procedures will remain unchanged. Those who wish to be tested can pull up outside of the health center. They will be asked to provide basic information including name, date of birth and contact information, and will self-administer the free test while being coached by a SEARHC staff member.
SEARHC hasn’t indicated how long it plans to continue funding the free, weekend testing, Pattison said.
At an assembly meeting Tuesday, Emergency Operations Center (EOC) incident commander Carolann Wooton said testing is a critical part of protecting the community from COVID-19.
“We have recommended that you minimize your travel as much as possible. This really is the (primary) way it’s going to come into the community,” Wooton said. “If you do travel, please follow the travel protocol that we agreed to the last assembly meeting with two tests.”
In October, the assembly approved a resolution encouraging travelers to test twice for coronavirus when entering the community–once up to 72 hours before traveling and once 5-7 days after entering. Travelers are encouraged to observe strict social distancing until they receive the second negative test. If travelers prefer not to test, they are encouraged to quarantine for 14 days.
Wooton said if SEARHC stops offering free testing it will fall to the borough to find a way to help people comply with the testing recommendation.
“I expect that (SEARHC will) probably make a change if not by mid-December, by the end of the year, which means that’s going to be more pressure on EOC funding, especially if we’re asking people to do a two-test protocol,” she said.
At present, the Haines Borough offers free testing for asymptomatic travelers entering the community from elsewhere in Alaska. These tests are funded with CARES Act dollars, which must be used by the end of the year or be returned to the federal government. Wooton said the borough needs to start thinking about what happens in 2021.
“It’s really important, as we start looking toward the end of the year, that we start figuring out how we’re going to fund testing going into the new year because this isn’t going to be gone by the end of December,” she said.
In addition to the free weekend testing, the health center is currently offering asymptomatic testing by appointment Monday through Thursday. The price for these tests has increased from $131 to $145. Pattison said insurance won’t cover asymptomatic testing for business or travel requirements.
Those with symptoms are asked to call the health center to speak with a provider before testing. “We encourage all people with symptoms to not test during the asymptomatic test times due to the risk to our COVID-19 technicians,” Pattison said.
In-state travelers who wish to receive a free, borough-funded test can request a voucher by emailing [email protected] and can schedule an appointment with SEARHC by calling 766-6300. Borough-funded tests are offered Monday through Thursday at 10 a.m.
Wooton said as of Monday, she’d given out 30 vouchers, accounting for approximately $5,250 of the $50,000 in CARES Act funds the assembly set aside for this purpose.