Nassau County Executive Laura Curran has announced a partnership with Mount Sinai South Nassau to provide free drive-through COVID-19 rapid testing in the Five Towns area in light of the recent increase in infections. Testing begins today at the Five Towns Community Center and will be expanded to the Five Towns Jewish Community Center (JCC) in the coming weeks. Once the facility is set up at the JCC, testing will rotate between the two sites on a weekly basis.
Mount Sinai South Nassau will offer rapid molecular COVID-19 testing Monday through Saturday at the Five Towns Community Center Monday through Saturday located at 270 Lawrence Ave, Lawrence, NY 11559. Hours of operation will be 8 AM to 4 PM Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 7 AM to 11 AM. All COVID-19 testing is provided free regardless of immigration status. Appointments are required. Appointments can be made by calling 516-390-2888.
“The County is responding proactively to the increase in infections in the Five Towns by making rapid testing available and working closely with the community to ensure health and safety guidance is being followed. Robust testing is vital to stopping the spread of the virus, and my Administration is committed to expanding access to testing for residents. I thank all the men and women at Mount Sinai South Nassau for the life-saving work they do every day,” said Nassau County Executive Laura Curran.
“An important way to prevent the spread of disease so that we can quickly get back to full business and school operations is to identify those in our community who are infected and ask them to isolate so that they don’t infect others. I am appreciative of this vital partnership with Mount. Sinai South Nassau Hospital which will help ensure that all residents of the Five Towns community have free access to testing,” said Dr. Lawrence Eisenstein, Nassau County Department of Health Commissioner.
“Testing is a critical component of our efforts to combat COVID-19. Rapid testing of symptomatic or exposed individuals allows us to provide the best information to residents as soon as possible and thereby reducing the risk for and preventing widespread infection within a community,” said Aaron E. Glatt, Chair of the Department of Medicine and Chief of Infectious Diseases at Mount Sinai South Nassau. “Increased access to testing will absolutely minimize the incidence of new cases and protect the most vulnerable from infection.”
“The hospital believes that this collaborative effort spearheaded by County Executive Curran and Commissioner Eisenstein will give our communities an edge in the race to trace and contain COVID-19 now while protecting residents from this pernicious and life-threatening virus,” said Richard J. Murphy, President and CEO of Mount Sinai South Nassau.
