Mobile coronavirus testing coming to Pittsburgh's Homewood neighborhood

Allegheny Health Network said Monday it is launching a new mobile initiative to take covid-19 testing into underserved Western Pennsylvania communities.

The first AHN mobile covid-19 testing site is scheduled to be open for appointments from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday outside the Alma Illery Medical Center in Pittsburgh’s Homewood neighborhood.

Those wishing to be tested do not need a doctor’s order.

“Convenient access to health care should not depend on where a person lives, particularly during a public health crisis,” said Dr. Jerome Gloster, chief executive officer of Primary Care Health Services Inc., a countywide system of primary care centers including its flagship, the Alma Illery Center.

To get tested at the AHN mobile clinics, patients should either be experiencing symptoms consistent with the virus such as fever, cough and shortness of breath, or believe they are at risk because they had contact with someone with a confirmed covid-19 diagnosis.

AHN is equipping existing mobile health vehicles to support the new program. The program is starting in the Pittsburgh region where covid volumes have been higher.

The launch of the mobile program follows AHN’s recent opening of permanent covid-19 sites in Braddock and on Pittsburgh’s North Side. After the Homewood visit, the mobile program will be scheduled weekly in other communities throughout the Pittsburgh area.

“At AHN, our commitment to providing convenient access to high quality health care for all of the communities we serve has never been more important than it is today,” said AHN President and CEO Cynthia Hundorfean. “We are extremely grateful to The Heinz Endowments and Henry L. Hillman Foundation for their support of our efforts to further expand the reach of covid-19 testing across the region.”

Patients can make an appointment by calling AHN’s 24/7 Nurse On Call line at 412-NURSE4U or 412-687-7348.