Workers from the Wright Center for Community Health await those who want to be tested for COVID-19 at the mobile testing and education center dubbed CATE, short for Community-Accessible Testing and Education. The unit is visiting Wilkes-Barre for two days, and will be open today from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Northampton Street parking lot across from the YMCA. All services are provided at no cost.
Mark Guydish | Times Leader
CATE will be open today from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Northampton St.
The larger of two rooms in the mobile testing and education unit known as CATE has large screens looping informative videos about COVID-19 and other educational material. A small room is used for screenings and tests for the virus.
Mark Guydish | Times Leader
CATE, for Community Accessible Testing and Education, came to Wilkes-Barre Wednesday, providing no-cost COVID-19 tests, information and some take-home goodies, all for free. It will be open today from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., in the Northampton Street parking lot across from the YMCA.
Mark Guydish | Times Leader
WILKES-BARRE —For two days — including Thursday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., the new mobile COVID Response unit dubbed CATE parked in the Northampton lot across the street from the YMCA, offering free information, testing and a bag of useful items for any takers, all free.
Short for Community-Accessible Testing & Education, CATE came to Wilkes-Barre through a partnership of several agencies and companies: Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Independence Blue Cross, Latino Connection and the Wright Center for Community Health.
“It’s all about access,” Brian Rinker said as he stood — properly masked — outside the unit Wednesday. “People might feel safer coming here than going to a doctor’s office or hospital.” Market President for Highmark, Rinker said the unit does double duty in helping answer questions people may have about COVID-19 and offering testing through local partners, in this case the Wright Center. The tagline on the side of CATE sums it up: “Sharing facts to erase fear.”
“This was our initiative,” Ashleigh Aviles of Latino Connection said. The Harrisburg-based “grassroots marketing and communication firm” specializes in “helping companies reach the Latino demographic,” she added, but CATE is, of course open to all.
Outside the center, a tent protected the bags of pandemic-related supplies available to visitors. Inside, one large room is dedicated to providing information on the virus and the pandemic, with two screens looping videos. A smaller room is used to screen and test those who want to be tested.
CATE is visiting three counties this week. On Monday and Tuesday it was in Lebanon, On Wednesday and Thursday it parked in Wilkes-Barre, and Friday and Saturday it will be in East Stroudsburg at the Pocono YMCA.
Aviles said the testing is done by local health care providers at each location. It is the nasal swab test, with results typically available in 2 to 5 days.
More information is available online at www.CATEmobileunit.com
Reach Mark Guydish at 570-991-6112 or on Twitter @TLMarkGuydish
