Dayton Children’s welcomes Ohio National Guard to assist with overwhelming demand for COVID-19 testing

**Due to the evolving nature of the response to COVID-19, information contained in this post may no longer be accurate. Please click here for the most up-to-date information on testing.**

Dayton Children’s welcomes 20 members of the Ohio National Guard to the Springboro COVID-19 testing site. With the overwhelming demand for testing in our community, this support will allow Dayton Children’s to triple the testing capacity at this location and assist with the intense need in a nine-county region.

The National Guard members will train with Dayton Children’s staff for up to a week. They will then fulfill each step necessary to ensure a sample is delivered correctly and efficiently to the lab including pre-analytical duties such as registration, sample collection and specimen preparation. Dayton Children’s staff will run the tests and return results. This teamwork is anticipated to allow the processing of nearly 800 tests daily. Previously, the staff was able to return 200-300 test results a day.

The increase in available testing is also made possible by the investment of the state of Ohio in a high-capacity instrument for its regional lab at Dayton Children’s south testing site. It can process up to 5,000 PCR COVID-19 tests a day. By freeing Dayton Children’s lab staff from preparation duties, they can now focus on running more tests through this instrument and supporting community testing efforts in nine counties to better manage surges.

With these additional resources from the state, this site transitions to a more community-based regional testing location, and therefore the tests offered here will be free. It also means that only PCR tests will be available at this site.

“We are so thankful to Governor Mike DeWine and the Ohio National Guard for their support and partnership,” says Deborah A. Feldman, president and CEO for Dayton Children’s Hospital. “It is only through collaboration like this that we are better able to serve our community and get through this together.”

other testing options

This transition will most likely increase wait times at the Springboro testing site, as more of the community chooses this free option.

To skip the line at the Springboro testing site, busy parents have other options at Dayton Children’s locations for appointment-based testing:

·        Talk to your child’s pediatrician to see if your child should be tested.  If the provider agrees on a test for your child, they can provide a testing order which has two benefits:

o   Parents can make an appointment at either the Dayton Children’s Valley Street testing site or the Troy testing location by visiting the Dayton Children’s website.

o   Insurance will cover the cost.

·        Kids Express offers COVID-19 testing at four locations – Beavercreek, Springboro, West Chester and Mason.