UMass to offer free and open to public COVID-19 testing site

UMass-Amherst has received a $5-million grant to open a community COVID-19 asymptomatic testing program starting Monday, Dec. 14, that will be free and open to the public.

AMHERST, Mass. (WWLP) — UMass Amherst has received a $5 million grant to open a community COVID-19 asymptomatic testing program starting Monday, December 14.

The testing will be free and open to the public, by appointment only, at the Public Health Promotion Center (PHPC) at the Mullins Center.

Testing will be available four days a week through January 21, at the same time that the university is on winter break. After classes resume, the program will continue with limited hours through March 15.

Gov. Charlie Baker also announced free testing sites in Great Barrington, Greenfield, North Adams, and Pittsfield. Berkshire county's new testing sites will be operated by Berkshire Health Systems. A mobile testing site is being planned for the Greenfield location.

Baker says all the new state-sponsored free testing sites should be operational by the end of the month.

UMass Amherst currently operates one of the state's largest testing locations, having conducted more than 170,000 tests since August 6. The school will increase the COVID-19 testing capacity at the Institute for Applied Life Sciences (IALS). The IALS Clinical Testing Center (ICTC) is a newly created, local SARS-CoV-2 testing facility.

According to a news release, ICTC will provide nasal swabs and tubes as well as analyze test results using RNA extraction/qPCR. The grant will support the testing materials and analyses for the community tests and will also support the ongoing testing program for students, faculty, and staff at UMass.

PHPC will manage administration of the community tests, including registration, operation of the Mullins Center testing site, and notification of results. A key aspect of the PHPC’s success is the significant staffing role played by students in the College of Nursing and the School of Public Health and Health Sciences.

Full details of the community program, including how to make appointments, can be found at online. Adults and children over 10 will be eligible for testing.

MAP: Mullins Center