Benton-Franklin Health District: Free Drive-Through COVID-19 Testing

Benton-Franklin Health District announced today that free drive-through COVID-19 testing will be available in Kennewick and Pasco beginning Wednesday. The sites are open to anyone who believes they should be tested; people with COVID-19 symptoms as well as anyone who has been exposed, or thinks they have been exposed, to the virus are urged to get tested. Appointments are required and can be made by calling 2-1-1.

“We’re able to expand testing now because we finally have adequate testing supplies, said “Dr. Amy Person, Health Officer for Benton and Franklin Counties. ”That’s changed dramatically in the past few weeks. Previously, we had very limited supplies and we needed to make sure we prioritized testing to critical cases. Now we can do broader testing because we have more supplies, more access to supplies, and expanded testing capacity.”

The testing sites will be open Wednesday through Saturday this week from 8 am to 1 pm at the Toyota Center in Kennewick, in the back parking area along Grandridge Blvd, not the main entrance. In Pasco, the testing will be held at the HAPO Center (TRAC). Beginning next week, the sites will be open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 8 am to 1 pm. To make testing more accessible, no medical orders are required and the testing is free to all. Appointments can be made by calling 2-1-1 Monday-Friday between 8 am and 5 pm.

Test results will be received by telephone in three to seven days. Written results will also be mailed and received within 10 days.

Increased testing is one of the factors considered by DOH in determining when counties are ready to move forward to the next phase of the state’s Safe Start Phased Reopening Plan. DOH has emphasized the need for more testing and widespread use of face coverings as keys to getting the virus under control in Benton and Franklin Counties.
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The drive-through community testing is a joint effort by Benton-Franklin Health District, Washington State Department of Health (DOH), Benton County Emergency Management, Franklin County Emergency Management, and the Washington National Guard.