Cayuga Health, Tompkins County open additional COVID-19 testing site in downtown Ithaca

ITHACA, N.Y. — Cayuga Health and Tompkins County have opened an additional COVID-19 testing location in downtown Ithaca at 412 North Tioga St.

The new testing site will be a saliva-collection site and has been opened to support individuals residing in downtown Ithaca who may have limited transportation and are seeking a test.

The mass sampling center located at The Shops at Ithaca Mall and other community testing locations will remain in operation, Cayuga Health said.

The Cayuga Health/Tompkins County testing site at 412 North Tioga St. has limited capacity and is by appointment only for residents living in the immediate area. Individuals seeking a test will need to pre-register. Once registered, individuals can arrive according to their appointed time to pick up a sampling kit.

Directions will be provided with the kit and samples should be returned to the sampling site for testing upon completion.

Online registration for both sampling sites is available at www.cayugahealth.org for patients to review the screening criteria and pre-register before their arrival. This allows for greater efficiencies with patient volume and decreased wait times.

In addition, a call center has been set up for patients who may not have access to internet, need assistance registering, or have questions. The call center number is (607) 319-5708.

“In March we were successful with opening one of the first COVID-19 mass-sampling centers in New York State and since then we have extensively evolved our lab operations and overall sampling and testing capabilities. This new sampling location allows for increased patient accessibility for the residents of Tompkins County and supports our downtown community,” Martin Stallone, president and CEO of Cayuga Health, said.

The Cayuga Health/Tompkins County Sampling Site located at 412 North Tioga St. will be open “into the foreseeable future as needed.” Hours will initially be 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

“Adding this sampling site in downtown Ithaca reflects Cayuga Health System’s ongoing commitment to stopping the spread of COVID-19. This site is designed to help test those who may not have transportation access to the sampling site at the mall and will be a walkable solution for many of our neighbors in the City. Along with mask wearing, hand hygiene, distancing, and reducing density — testing and contact tracing have continued to be critical tools to stop the spread — we will continue to encourage all of our community members to seek a test if they may have been exposed to the virus or if they have symptoms.” Frank Kruppa, Tompkins County Public Health Director, said. “The Health Department continues to extend thanks to the Cayuga Health staff for their dedication — our community is safer because of their work.”

The Cayuga Health/Tompkins County mass sampling center is still located in portable structures at the Shops at Ithaca Mall parking lot at 40 Catherwod Road and staffed by Cayuga Health employees. It is available for pre-scheduled drive through testing from 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Those needing transportation to the testing sites can contact 2-1-1 (or 877-211-8677) for a list of options. Transportation is available from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays.