On March 11, Governor Mike DeWine detailed four initiatives that are making rapid COVID-19 tests more accessible to Ohioans:
- Federal Qualified Health Centers
The state’s ongoing partnership with federally qualified health centers has led to the availability of over 150,000 rapid tests at community health centers. These centers have health professionals on-hand to administer the tests free of charge. - Local Health Departments
Local health departments have partnered with their communities to make at-home testing available to schools, nonprofit organizations, and first responders. - Public Libraries
The state has recently partnered with public libraries to make at-home tests available to more Ohio communities. During the first two weeks, Ohio has partnering with 120 libraries. - K-12 Schools
A new partnership recently launched that will bring 200,000 at-home tests to Educational Service Centers. To increase confidence and safety in schools, Gov. DeWine encourages school districts to take advantage of this resource and develop aggressive testing plans.
Between libraries and local health departments, at-home testing is accessible in 76 of Ohio’s 88 counties. Some of these areas had disproportionate access to testing earlier in the COVID-19 pandemic.