Nearly two dozen additional testing sites opened around the state Wednesday as part of Indiana’s large-scale testing effort for novel coronavirus exposure. State health officials are also ramping up contact tracing to connect Hoosiers at risk of infection to resources to assist with quarantine or isolation.  

The new testing sites are opening under an Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) contract with OptumServe Health Services. Physicians and patients can find location and registration information for new and existing sites on the COVID-19 testing map. 

Counties with new sites include Jasper, Marshall, Noble, Lagrange, Allen, Fountain-Warren, Clinton, Boone, Hancock, Hamilton, Marion, Randolph, Grant, Howard, Parke, Putnam, Greene, Lawrence, Jackson, Monroe, Clark, Decatur, Dearborn, Ripley, Harrison, Posey and Perry. Additional sites will be added once locations are finalized.

In addition, through Sunday, ISDH is holding drive-through clinics in Bluffton, Gary, Madison and Sullivan. Details of these clinics and additional state-sponsored sites can also be found at the COVID-19 testing clinic link.

Hoosiers who have symptoms of COVID-19 and those who have been exposed and need a test to return to work are encouraged to contact their physicians to visit a state-sponsored testing site for free testing. Testing is also encouraged for patients without symptoms who are at high risk because they are over age 65 or have diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure or another underlying condition, as well as those who are pregnant or live with a high-risk individual or are a member of a minority population that’s at greater risk for severe illness.

When visiting any ISDH testing site, patients should bring proof of Indiana residency, such as a state-issued ID, work ID or utility bill. Patients who have insurance must also bring their insurance information when they arrive for their testing appointment. Insurance companies will cover the cost of the test, and uninsured patients will be tested free of charge. 

Physicians and providers can access patients’ ISDH/OptumServe test results through the Indiana Health Information Exchange (IHIE), In addition, the OptumServe/ISDH testing site results are automatically reported to the centralized contact tracing system without any action by the physician.  

Contact tracing centralized
In addition to increasing testing sites, the ISDH and its partners are rolling out a more centralized, statewide contact tracing program.
 
County health departments will still be responsible for delivering services, but the actual contact tracing functions will be handled at the state level. ISDH plans to hire 500 contact tracers by the end of this month. These tracers will identify potentially at-risk Hoosiers based on their exposure to persons with COVID-19 and connect them to resources to assist with quarantine or isolation.  

While information is still being released, the new contact tracing structure leaves  physician COVID-19 reporting mostly unchanged. Physicians should continue to report  confirmed and clinical cases of COVID-19 through the NBS system and should refer appropriate patients to the ISDH testing map. 

If you have more questions about contact tracing, contact your county health department. Contact information can be found here.