Free Walk-in COVID-19 Testing

In collaboration with St. Luke’s University Health Network and other community partners, the CATE Mobile Response Unit will visit various Lehigh Valley locations to conduct COVID-19 testing on-site for individuals who are showing symptoms or who have been exposed to COVID-19 while also educating the public on how to stay healthy and safe.

Through a shared vision for healthcare equality and a commitment for supporting diverse and underserved communities, the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Highmark Blue Shield, Independence Blue Cross, and Latino Connection partnered to create a COVID-19 Mobile Response Unit, CATE, with the unified purpose of building healthy communities through accessibility to knowledge and care. CATE, which stands for Community-Accessible Testing & Education, focuses on providing testing, education, and resources to individuals in low-income, vulnerable communities.

The mobile response unit’s tagline is “Sharing knowledge to erase fear,” which it intends to do through widespread community healthcare and health education offered for free and with no insurance required.

CATE’s schedule is as follows:

Allentown (Flu shots also available.) -- Bucky Boyle Park 10 Pump Pl.

• Tuesday, October 13th, 11am – 3pm
• Wednesday, October 14th, 11am – 3pm

Bethlehem -- Marvine Elementary School, 1425 Livingston St.

• Monday, October 26th, from 10 am – 2pm

Bethlehem -- Hispanic Center Lehigh Valley 520 E. 4th St.

• Tuesday, October 27th, from 10 am – 2pm

Easton -- Easton Neighborhood Center, 902 Philadelphia Rd

• Monday, November 9th, 10 am – 2 pm
• Tuesday, November 10th, 10 am – 2 pm

In addition to St. Luke’s, other community partners supporting these events include State Rep. Pete Schweyer, Allentown Health Bureau, Bethlehem Health Bureau, Bethlehem Area School District, Hispanic Center Lehigh Valley, Easton Neighborhood Center and Star Wellness.

Those interested in receiving services should visit the website at www.CATEmobileunit.com for more information about upcoming events. Testing is available on a first come, first serve basis. All services are available for insured and uninsured individuals alike. Social distancing guidelines will be followed at all times.

As a reminder, symptoms of COVID-19 can include:

• Fever
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Diarrhea
• Chills
• Repeating shaking with chills
• Muscle pain
• Headache
• Sore throat
• New loss of taste or smell

Symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as long as 14 days after exposure. Reported illnesses have ranged from people with little to no symptoms to people being severely ill and dying.

CATE will be making many more stops across Pennsylvania in the coming weeks. If you are not able to attend this event, please check www.CATEmobileunit.com to see CATE’s future tour schedule.

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Media Contact

Sam Kennedy, Corporate Communications Director, 484-526-4134, samuel.kennedy@sluhn.org

About St. Luke’s

Founded in 1872, St. Luke's University Health Network (SLUHN) is a fully integrated, regional, non-profit network of more than 15,000 employees providing services at 11 hospitals and 300 outpatient sites. With annual net revenue greater than $2 billion, the Network’s service area includes 11 counties: Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Montgomery, Monroe, Schuylkill and Luzerne counties in Pennsylvania and Warren and Hunterdon counties in New Jersey. Dedicated to advancing medical education, St. Luke's is the preeminent teaching hospital in central-eastern Pennsylvania. In partnership with Temple University, St. Luke's created the Lehigh Valley's first and only regional medical school campus. It also operates the nation’s longest continuously operating School of Nursing, established in 1884, and 34 fully accredited graduate medical educational programs with 263 residents and fellows. St. Luke's is the only Lehigh Valley-based health care system with Medicare’s five- and four-star ratings (the highest) for quality, efficiency and patient satisfaction. St. Luke’s is both a Leapfrog Group and Healthgrades Top Hospital and a Newsweek World’s Best Hospital. In 2019, three of IBM Watson Health's 100 Top Hospitals were St. Luke's hospitals. St. Luke's University Hospital has earned the 100 Top Major Teaching Hospital designation from IBM Watson Health seven times total and five years in a row. St. Luke's has also been cited by IBM Watson Health as a 50 Top Cardiovascular Program. Utilizing the Epic electronic medical record (EMR) system for both inpatient and outpatient services, the Network is a multi-year recipient of the Most Wired award recognizing the breadth of the SLUHN's information technology applications such as telehealth, online scheduling and online pricing information. St. Luke's is also recognized as one of the state's lowest cost providers.

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