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Date: 12/23/2022
EASTHAMPTON – Curative officially closed its COVID-19 testing site at Millside Park on Dec. 15 and planned to close the rest of their sites nationwide at the end of the month.
Easthampton – along with the Northampton Department of Health and Human Services – partnered with Curative, the healthcare startup company, back in December 2021 to offer free PCR testing at City Hall when Easthampton was experiencing the highest COVID-19 case numbers recorded to date. The site then transitioned to Millside Park this past January as a drive-thru site, and to date, Curative provided more than 11,000 PCR tests to the Easthampton location.
“I am grateful that through our partnership with Curative and the Northampton Department of Health and Human Services, Easthampton was able to have a COVID-19 testing site available to our residents six days a week for almost a year,” said Easthampton Health Director Bri Dupras, in a statement. “Our testing site was a collaborative effort, and I would like to publicly thank the Parks and Recreation Department, Department of Public Works, Easthampton Police Department and the Northampton Department of Health and Human Services.”
Curative decided to close its locations as the company pivots nationwide from testing to health insurance.
According to the press release from the Easthampton Health Department, the demand for testing over the last few months has declined with the increase of rapid tests and many testing requirements for travel ending.
Dupras told Reminder Publishing that appointments would “fill up” when the site first became available at City Hall, but over the past three to six months, the lines have dwindled.
“I have never seen a line at Millside, and our appointments were nowhere near filling up,” said Dupras. “I actually can’t remember the last time I saw a line at the site.”
Despite Curative’s closure, Dupras said Easthampton will continue to provide rapid antigen tests at the city’s Health Department from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Monday through Thursday, Council on Aging from 8 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Monday through Friday, and the Easthampton Community Center on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 4 to 7 p.m.. “We have an ample supply of rapid COVID[-19] tests, so I feel okay with Curative closing the site,” Dupras said. “I am very grateful for our partnership with Curative because there were many instances where there were not many options for testing, especially when the state shut down the ‘Stop the Spread’ sites.”