COVID-19 Testing Available To Charlestown, North End Residents

CHARLESTOWN, MA — NEW Health, a health center and an affiliate of Massachusetts General Hospital and Boston Medical Center, has opened its Charlestown COVID-19 testing site to Charlestown and North End residents who have a health insurance through a major provider, whether they are showing symptoms or not.

The site first opened May 18 at 15 Tufts Street in the Bunker Hill Housing Development, the largest public housing development in New England, in response to Charlestown having the lowest amount of COVID-19 testing of any Boston neighborhood.

Testing was available for all residents who had at least one symptom and a referral from their primary care provider. The testing has expanded to all residents of Charlestown and the North End, without a referral and even if they are not showing any symptoms.

The only thing you need to bring is proof of residency.

The testing site is open 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Friday, and you have to make an appointment ahead of time by calling 857-238-1100.

Once you make an appointment, the health center will conduct a telehealth visit and give you instructions about the onsite testing visit. According to the health center both the telehealth and the in person visits ( walk-up and drive-through) are covered by all major health insurance providers.

If you don't have health insurance, they'll still do the tests, but it's unclear how those will be paid for.

“Our mission is to improve the quality of health and life for the residents of Boston’s North End, Waterfront and Charlestown, and this critically-needed testing site reflects that,” said new Health CEO James Luisi. “We also plan to establish an additional testing site in the North End in the coming weeks.”

Some $60,0000 from the Boston Resiliency Fund and $305,000 from the CARES Act made the Charlestown testing site possible. The site has conducted about 100 tests since opening, with a goal of expanding to 15 tests per day, according to the center.