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State Announces Partnership To Test 100,000 Hoosiers Within A Month

OptumServe aims to test 100,000 people within the first 30 days.
OptumServe aims to test 100,000 people within the first 30 days.

Indiana officials announced a partnership Tuesday that will dramatically expand the state’s COVID-19 testing capacity.

OptumServe Health Services will set up 20 testing sites around the state within the next week, with 50 total sites within two weeks. State health department Chief Medical Officer Dr. Lindsay Weaver says anyone with symptoms of COVID-19 – or who has had close contact with a symptomatic person – can get tested, without a doctor’s order.

“And once all 50 sites are open, as many as 6,600 Hoosiers can be tested per day,” Weaver says.

OptumServe aims to test 100,000 people within the first 30 days.

Gov. Eric Holcomb says patients at OptumServe sites should get results within 48 hours.

“And it’s free," Holcomb says. "If you have insurance, you’re going to have to show insurance – but you won’t be turned away if you don’t have insurance.”

The state says the partnership with OptumServe is on a month-to-month basis and costs nearly $18 million, though much of that will be paid for through federal funding.

Contact Brandon at  bsmith@ipbs.org or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5.

For the latest news and resources about COVID-19, bookmark our Coronavirus In Indiana page  here. 

This is a rapidly evolving story, and we are working hard to bring you the most up-to-date information. However, we recommend checking the websites of the  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  or the  Indiana State Department of Health  for the most recent numbers of COVID-19 cases.

Brandon J. Smith has previously worked as a reporter and anchor for KBIA Radio in Columbia, MO. Prior to that, he worked for WSPY Radio in Plano, IL as a show host, reporter, producer and anchor. His first job in radio was in another state capitol, in Jefferson City, as a reporter for three radio stations around Missouri. Brandon graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a Bachelor of Journalism in 2010, with minors in political science and history. He was born and raised in Chicago.