“Since it opened on May 6th, 586 Northampton County residents have received a test for Covid-19,” says Executive Lamont McClure. “Determining how prevalent the virus is in our community is the key to reopening our economy.”
Only residents from Northampton County will be accepted for testing and they must show at least one of the following CDC recognized symptoms of Covid-19 to be eligible: fever, dry cough, shortness of breath, chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat or loss of taste and/or smell. A prescription from a doctor is not required. Although insurance is not required to be tested participants should bring a photo ID and their insurance card, if they have one, with them.
WHERE: Easton Hospital Main Parking Lot 250 S 21st Street, Easton, PA 18042
WHEN: Open until June 5th; Monday – Friday, 10AM – 4PM
Great meme. It reminds that there are lots of nasty bugs out there that don't paralyze society. We HAVE a flu vaccine and it still kills tens of thousands every year - especially the elderly. We don't lockdown because of this. CoViD is certainly not the flu, but it also doesn't warrant the draconian response that will probably cost as many lives as the sickness. Nobody wants to admit they were wrong (we all were). Nobody seems to be seeking reasonable middle ground.
ReplyDeleteThe culling of the stupid and arrogant and their families will now begin. "I dont need no stinkin' mask. Handwashing is for pussies!"
ReplyDeleteBernie I had allways knew you were a very sick man at least you don't have the wuhun virus.
ReplyDeleteIt would be great if the NorCo administration would provide an accounting of the money it's provided to Easton Hospital for the testing, and if it would also require an accounting from Easton Hospital for the total costs of providing the tests (including other state/federal grants).
ReplyDeleteWith no such information, it seems more like a financial black hole, and 568 people seems like a relatively small number of people tested. I'd love to see how the cost and number tested compares to other testing sites, including other hospitals and private testing sites (like Rite Aid, etc.).
I guess I'm looking for transparency and accountability in government and from our non-profits, something that seems in short supply these days.
To follow up on my previous post and what I called the "relatively small number of people tested", the post mentions that the site has been open since May 6th. The post also says the "Hours of operation are Monday through Friday, from 10:00AM – 4:00PM."
ReplyDeleteThrough yesterday, that would mean they were open for testing for 10 days. For a six hour day, that means they're testing a little over nine people an hour. Not exactly the great rush for more testing that some would expect.
It's also far less than what we see from drive-thru flu shot clinics. I realize it's not the same thing, but I use it as an example of what you see when there's an actual public desire/need for the service and it's efficiently run.
I also have to question the real need from the hours the site is operating. Six hours a day excluding weekends tells me that nobody at the county or hospital really views this as an essential service.
9:33, It's already been stated that the county is using funding under the CARES Act. So far, it is $150k plus the soft costs for county EMS.
ReplyDelete9:44, So far the number of tests conducted at this site exceeds the number of tests performed by the state at the regional center. You have to exhibit a symptom to be tested although I suspect some are just curious and pretend they have symptoms. As tests become more available, EVERYONE should be strongly encouraged to be tested.
9:44 - you hit several key points. The problem these days is everybody spews numbers to suit their purposes. No one, not even the news media even challenges obvious inconsistencies. They just run with whatever the Press Release claims. Two glaring examples, Musikfest that claims a million people attend. Not even close!
ReplyDeleteOr, the Allentown Neighborhood Improvement Zone, a big money loser for Pennsylvania taxpayers. A strong case can be made Pennsylvania is down in tax revenue collected since it all began by $150-200 Million Dollars from the time before ANIZDA was created.
All one has to do is claim any number and you’re good to go!
Bernie O'Hare said:
ReplyDelete"It's already been stated that the county is using funding under the CARES Act. So far, it is $150k plus the soft costs for county EMS."
I understand that the money is coming from the federal CARES Act, but we still pay the bill for that (or at least our grandkids will).
So your saying there is no additional allotment (from the CARES Act or anywhere else, other than the EMS costs) each time the testing dates get extended by NorCo?
First of all, it's "you're," not "your."
ReplyDeleteSecond, I have told you how this is being funded. No county tax dollars, other than soft costs, are involved.
Third, if you're suggesting people should not be tested bc it costs money, you are insane. The most effective strategy in eradicating a highly contagious respiratory virus is testing and tracing. It is also far less expensive than shutting down an entire state's economy.
Bernie O'Hare said...
ReplyDelete"First of all, it's "you're," not "your."
Second, I have told you how this is being funded. No county tax dollars, other than soft costs, are involved.
Third, if you're suggesting people should not be tested bc it costs money, you are insane. The most effective strategy in eradicating a highly contagious respiratory virus is testing and tracing. It is also far less expensive than shutting down an entire state's economy."
1) Thanks for the spelling tip. Sorry I missed that.
2) I understand where the money is coming from, but it's all money that's coming from us (or our grandkids). If the county is choosing to put federal dollars towards a poorly used or inefficient testing site, then perhaps those dollars could be better spent elsewhere.
All I was asking for is the total federal dollars that have been allocated to the Easton Hospital testing site. From your response, I'm not sure if you know if there have been additional allocations beyond the initial $150,000. I think it's a fair question to ask, particularly since we aren't in a normal review process as far as Council being involved.
3) Spare me the strawman argument that I'm saying people shouldn't be tested. What I'm saying is exactly the opposite. Money is a finite resource and I think we should be looking to find the way to effectively test people who need it for the lowest dollar amount possible. By doing so, we can stretch those tax dollars to test the MOST people possible.
In fact, in a separate post today it's come to light that Gracedale isn't testing ALL employees and residents, despite a high infection and death rate. Maybe some of those dollars given to Easton Hospital could have been used for Gracedale testing of ALL employees and residents. Not sure if that's allowed, but it's just an example of what might have been a better use for the money.
1. Is the county expecting the feds to reimburse the $150,000, to the county, or did it come from general fund?
ReplyDelete2. Priority should have been given to Gracedale testing as
It is the main source of most COVID-19 outbreak, not the general public.