Oak Street Health Expands Access to COVID-19 Testing in Underserved Chicago Communities

Oak Street Health, a network of value-based primary care centers for adults on Medicare, is providing free rapid COVID-19 tests to all members of the Chicago community. In collaboration with the City of Chicago, the primary care provider has already completed more than 2,500 tests, and is welcoming anyone who wants to be tested. The service is completely free, does not require an appointment, and is offered to all people regardless of symptoms, exposure, or insurance status.

"Testing remains critical to containing the spread of COVID-19 and keeping Chicagoans safe," said Christina Anderson, Deputy Commissioner, Chicago Department of Public Health. "We're grateful for Oak Street Health's leadership and effort to broaden testing access to those who need it most. We remain committed to allocating resources and providing support to our partners who are on the frontline of this pandemic, working every day to increase access to testing in communities hit the hardest."

"The demand for COVID-19 tests is at an all-time high with cases surging and the holidays upon us,” said Dr. Ali Khan, Executive Medical Director of Oak Street Health. "We know how challenging access to testing is right now, and that’s especially true in Chicago’s Black and Latino communities, where the virus has already had a cruel and disproportionate impact. Oak Street Health has served the older adults in these neighborhoods for years, providing access to high-quality primary care in order to keep them healthy. We are honored to work with the City of Chicago to bring free testing to anyone who needs it, expanding access where it has been severely lacking and helping to keep our communities safe.”

WHAT: Oak Street Health is providing free rapid COVID-19 testing to all members of the community.

WHERE:

Current testing locations include:

• Oak Street Health Hermosa at 4417 West Diversey Ave, Chicago, IL 60639
• Oak Street Health Lincoln Crossing at 1401 Western Ave, Chicago Heights, IL 60411
• Oak Street Health Bellwood at 456 25th Ave, Bellwood, IL 60104

Upcoming testing locations include:

• Oak Street Health Little Village (*testing will be done at Self-Help Federal Credit Union) at Pulaski & 26th Street, Chicago, IL 60623 (starting Saturday, December 19)
• As additional testing locations open, you can find up-to-date information here.

WHEN: Every Monday through Saturday from 9:30am to 4pm

WHO: Any person in the community is welcome to receive a test. You do not need to be an Oak Street Health patient or Medicare-eligible. There is no fee or insurance co-pay, no need to make an appointment and no justification of symptoms or exposure required.

To learn more about Oak Street Health, click here.

Source: Oak Street Health

About Oak Street Health

Founded in 2012, Oak Street Health is a network of value-based primary care centers for adults on Medicare. With a mission of rebuilding healthcare as it should be, the company operates an innovative healthcare model focused on quality of care over volume of services, and assumes the full financial risk of its patients. Oak Street Health currently operates more than 70 centers across Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Indiana, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Tennessee, New York and Mississippi. To learn more about Oak Street Health’s proven approach to care, visit oakstreethealth.com.

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