Program will expand to more than 30 mobile testing units through July
New York: New York City Mayor Eric Adams, NYC Test & Trace Corps, NYC Health + Hospitals, and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) along with White House Covid-19 Response Coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha Thursday announced the launch of the country’s first-ever mobile-based “Test to Treat” program.
Starting Thursday, participating mobile testing units managed by NYC Test and Trace Corps will now include a clinician on their team to provide instant access to prescriptions for no-cost, antiviral medications for eligible New Yorkers who test positive at these sites.
“New York City may have been at the epicenter of the pandemic at the start, but now we are leading the way in prevention and mitigation,” said Mayor Adams. “This mobile Test-to-Treat program will save lives today and prepares us for future waves of this pandemic, keeping more New Yorkers safe and healthy.”
Dr. Ashish Jha, White House Covid-19 Response Coordinator said, “We have made a lot of progress in our fight against Covid-19 — deaths are down 90 percent from when President Biden took office, and vaccines and treatments are keeping people out of the hospital and saving lives.”
DOHMH Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan said, “Health services, including for Covid-19, should be omnipresent and capable of meeting people where they are. The new mobile Test-to-Treat model continues the city’s track record of innovation in our pandemic response.”
The Test-to-Treat mobile program is starting with three mobile testing units, paired with local pharmacies, and will expand to more than 30 units through the month of July. In the initial phase, New Yorkers who test positive for Covid-19 will receive a prescription from a clinician at the mobile site and be able to pick up the medication at the co-located pharmacy or through the city’s free home delivery program. Units will be partnered and deployed at the following locations namely Inwood Pharmacy on Broadway, Burke Avenue Pharmacy in the Bronx, and Rex Pharmacy in South Ozone Park.
New Yorkers can visit nyc.gov/covidtest to find a city-run testing site most convenient and accessible to them. For more information on Covid-19 treatments, please call 212-COVID19 and press 9 or visit nyc.gov/health/covidtreatments.
