Mobile COVID-19 testing clinic parks in Kalona

By Christopher Borro
Posted 11/9/20

Thirty-three COVID-19 tests were administered during the free mobile testing clinic hosted in Kalona by Mercy Iowa City and Rural Health and Safety of Eastern Iowa on Oct. 27.

The Kalona clinic, …

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Mobile COVID-19 testing clinic parks in Kalona

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Thirty-three COVID-19 tests were administered during the free mobile testing clinic hosted in Kalona by Mercy Iowa City and Rural Health and Safety of Eastern Iowa on Oct. 27.

The Kalona clinic, held in the parking lot of Mercy Family Medicine of Kalona, was the fifth and final stop in series of mobile testing sites designed for rural communities. The turnout in Kalona was higher than previous events held in Tipton, Solon and Columbus Junction, said Aaron Scheinblum, a communications strategist for Mercy.

“I think [the mobile format] makes a big difference, especially…when you realize some of the things that might restrict people from moving around,” Scheinblum said.

Kelley Donham, the vice chair of Rural Health and Safety of Eastern Iowa supplied the trailer that samples were collected in.

“We started out, before COVID, to do wellness clinics,” Donham said.

But when the coronavirus arrived, and with the nearest free testing location around an hour north in Cedar Rapids, RHSEI needed a way to help keep people in rural areas safe during the pandemic.

“You know, it’s not very accessible for many people living out here,” Donham said of COVID-19 testing availability.

Positivity rates for the virus are rising in Washington County; in August, the 14-day rolling average showed a positivity rate between approximately 5-8%. By the end of October, however, the average had risen to be between approximately 15-19%. On Oct. 27, the day the clinic was held, Washington County reported 169 active cases and the 14-day rolling average showed a 19.1% positivity rate. 

A steady stream of cars rolled through the parking lot for the duration of the two-hour clinic. Patients first answered questions about their symptoms before staff administered a nasal swab test, which would be sent back to the state’s hygienics lab. Results are usually gleaned overnight.

If a patient is negative, the lab will notify them right away. If a patient tests positive, however, a local physician will have to inform them. Only those who are experiencing potential coronavirus symptoms were admitted.

The mobile testing clinic may be a relatively recent development, but ever since cases were confirmed in the area, Mercy and RHSEI have been preparing for it.

“We’ve been in planning with this for months,” said Mercy health coach Patty Maxwell.

She said, normally, she’d help with farm safety clinics and inform people of ways of staying healthy at county fairs and the like. However, with many such events shut down due to the coronavirus, the mobile tests were the best way to provide the service to people.

“People are really monitoring their health and coming in with fewer symptoms than what they had previously,” she said.