Coronavirus Testing: FIU, Health Dept. Opening Drive-Thru Site At Miami-Dade Youth Fairgrounds
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Florida International Unversity, in conjunction with the Florida Department of Health, will be open a new drive-thru coronavirus test site at the Miami-Dade Youth Fairgrounds.
Testing will get underway Wednesday, April 8th. The entrance to the site will be at SW 107th Avenue and 17th Street. Testing will be performed daily, by appointment only, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Appointments can be made by calling (305) 499-8767. The call center opens at 9 a.m. and takes appointments for the following day until all 300 slots are filled. The call center then closes until the next day at 9 a.m.
To qualify for testing, a person must be at least 18 years old and have symptoms associated with COVID-19.
"At FIU we look for opportunities to help people and heal our community," said FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg in a statement. "Opening a COVID-19 testing site allows us to do both. It is our hope that this partnership helps bring about a measure of comfort and access to our community."
FIU researchers will be testing a simple algorithm developed by doctors at FIU to triage patients.
"There is still a lot that we can learn and maybe even lives that we can save by widespread testing," said CEO of the FIU HealthCare Network and Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine (HWCOM) Associate Dean Dr. Eneida Roldan, who will serve as clinical director for the testing site.
HWCOM staff will supervise the clinical operations, which will include volunteer faculty and students from the medical school, the Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing & Health Sciences, and the Robert Stempel College of Social Work & Public Health. The FIU Division of Operations and Safety will provide operational and logistical oversight with support from Miami-Dade County.
