CHA Launches COVID-19 Testing in Cambridge

Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) will offer COVID-19 testing to all Cambridge residents via a stand-alone testing center at the CHA East Cambridge Care Center (163 Gore St., Cambridge). The service will launch on Friday, May 8. Cambridge residents eight years of age and older are welcome, regardless of insurance or immigration status. Individuals MUST CALL to set up an appointment using a new hotline number at 617-665-2928.

"Expanding testing to all Cambridge residents is another important step in our region’s response to COVID-19," said Assaad Sayah, MD, Cambridge Health Alliance CEO and Commissioner of Public Health for the City of Cambridge. "I appreciate our partnership with the City of Cambridge and the Cambridge Public Health Department to meet this critical public health imperative."

"The Cambridge Health Alliance provides vital health care services to many Cambridge residents, and plays a critical role in the City’s COVID-19 response," said Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui and City Manager Louis A. DePasquale in a joint statement. "We want to thank the Cambridge Health Alliance and Dr. Sayah for securing a stand-alone testing center in Cambridge. Expanding the testing capacity for COVID-19 is an important part of the Commonwealth’s strategy for reopening, and this testing site will be a critical resource for Cambridge residents."

Results will be available in five days after people are tested. The Cambridge Public Health Department will contact people, via phone, with the results. All patients will also receive guidance on how to protect themselves and family members while test results are pending. This is available in multiple languages.

The Cambridge location is the third community testing site that CHA has launched amidst the outbreak of COVID-19. One is located at the CHA Somerville Campus, dedicated to testing Somerville residents, and another is at the CHA Malden Care Center for Everett and Malden residents.

Below is key information about the service:

• Appointments are required. Cambridge residents should call 617-665-2928 to get an appointment. The Call Center is open Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.
• CHA patients with symptoms should call their primary care provider who can assess their needs and assist with follow-up.
• Testing is provided to Cambridge residents and CHA patients Monday - Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Testing is available both as a drive-thru service and for bicyclists and people who arrive on foot.
• Testing will be conducted in a tent located at the CHA East Cambridge Care Center (163 Gore St, Cambridge).
• There is no charge. People will be asked for insurance information, but it is not required.
• Results will be available within 5 days after people are tested.

CHA is monitoring the situation and will make changes as circumstances evolve. Visit www.challiance.org to learn more and get updated information.