NATCHITOCHES – Free COVID-19 testing will be available Monday, Sept. 21-Thursday, Sept. 24 and Monday, Sept. 28-Thursday, Oct. 1 at the Louisiana School for Math, Science and the Arts gymnasium on Caspari Street on the campus of Northwestern State University. Free testing will be available from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. each day. There will be no testing on Friday of either week.
Walk-up and drive-thru testing will be available. Individuals will self-test. NSU nursing students may be available to offer assistance as schedules allow. Testing will be available for individuals five years of age or older. Anyone under age 16 must be accompanied by a guardian. Signs will be posted with directions to the testing site. An ID is not required. NSU students and employees will be asked to sign a release that their results will be reported to the university.
Individuals must provide a telephone number and email address to be tested. A QR code is available with access to the eTrueNorth portal where individuals can register and find test results. To open the QR code, individuals should hold the camera of a smartphone over the code so that it is clearly visible on the screen. The phone will scan the code leading to the registration site.
Individuals will be contacted via the email address they provide with test results. Those who test positive will also be contacted by phone. Test results will also be posted on the eTrueNorth patient portal. Registration for eTrueNorth portal is at www.DoINeedACOVID19Test.com. There is not a phone number to call for results. Results will be via email or the portal. Results may take longer depending on the number of tests.
Individuals who have symptoms of COVID-19 or have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 should stay home except to get medical care and separate themselves from other people as much as possible to prevent spreading the disease to others. Individuals who test positive for COVID-19 or were in close contact with someone who tested positive will be contacted by contact tracers calling from the phone number 877-766-2130. During the call, individuals can be connected with resources available to help safely quarantine or self-isolate.
Above and below is a QR code that will take users to a registration site. Below is a voucher form, a nasal self-swab reference guide, information on quarantine and isolation and other pertinent information in English and Spanish.
The free testing is being made available by the Louisiana National Guard in cooperation with the Louisiana Department of Health.
More information is available at www.DoINeedACOVID19Test.com, at http://ldh.la.go/Coronavirus and https://coronavirus.la.gov.
