BOISE, Idaho — Crush the Curve Idaho is partnering with Central District Health and the State of Idaho to provide free COVID-19 tests at two locations - one in Meridian near the Ten Mile interchange and the other at the Boise Airport.
The partners decided more testing sites were necessary to help alleviate pressure on local health care providers.
"There's a lot of benefits to the community realizing there are scalable things like we don't have to look at the healthcare system who certainly need our support and need us to give them what they need to also expect them to deliver on testing," said Executive Director of Crush the Curve Idaho Tina Upson.
With touchless technology from start to finish, getting a COVID-19 test is seamless.
"We hand you the swab, tell you what to do, say 'Oops, no, a little bit higher than that, we want a good eye water', and we talk you through that," Upson said. "Then you put it face down in the tube we are holding, screw the lid on and it goes off to the lab."
The tests will be available through the end of 2020 for individuals who have been exposed to COVID-19 or might be experiencing symptoms of the virus.
There two testing sites:
Boise Airport Economy Parking Lot
5600 W. Victory Road – Boise
Ten Mile Crossing Development
2775 W. Navigator Drive – Meridian
Again, there is no charge for the test.
For people with insurance, the lab processing the test will bill your insurance provider. All co-pays are waived through the federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act. And, if for any reason your provider denies coverage, the State of Idaho will cover the cost of the test.
"By providing tests for known exposure or somebody with symptoms, we are able to cash in on the fact that those who have insurance or Medicaid, Medicare, those are covered, the lab fees themselves can be covered," Upson said.
If you don't have insurance, the federal Families First Coronavirus Act covers the cost of testing completely.
The sites will be open Monday through Saturday, but you need to make an appointment. Same day times are available.
Go to CrushTheCurveIdaho.com and take the assessment. The assessment will ask for insurance information – see under the "how is there is no charge" question. At the end of the assessment, you will be given a case number. Bring that number with you to your appointment.
You will receive an email with your results. A spokesperson says the average results time is 12 hours right now.
This partnership and free cost arrangement applies only to the two testing sites listed above and is not applicable to all Crush the Curve testing sites around the state or at other medical testing partners.
Those who have not been exposed to the virus or have no known symptoms can still get a test, but it won't be free of charge. Upson believes testing is imperative to getting ahead of the virus and that it is one of the ways we can get Idaho back to work.
"As much as everyone thinks that [with] vaccines and announcing vaccines we are out of this thing, we are not out of this thing," she said. "We still have schools that have got to stay open and I don't see a protocol that doesn't include testing to do that".
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