Southampton, NY – A pop-up COVID-19 testing facility that opened on April 30th in Southampton Village will continue to operate due to Suffolk County taking over the cost of free testing. The testing site was funded with private donations from Hampton Health Society which raised enough funds to set up the test site and operate it through May. Southampton Supervisor Jay Schneiderman reached out to County Legislator Bridget Fleming and County Executive Steve Bellone with the hopes of continuing testing with County funding. County Executive Bellone announced today that the County would indeed fund the continued operation of the testing site. The drive-thru covid-19 testing site is operated by Hudson River Health Care (HRHCare) and is located at the Kraus Family Health Center, adjacent to Southampton Hospital.
Early in the Pandemic, Supervisor Schneiderman and other south fork elected officials called on the County to locate a testing site on the south fork. A site was established after Hamptons Health Society, a local not-for-profit (501-c-3), raised $25,000 in local donations to help fund the operation of the testing facility by HRHCare. HRHCare offers free testing to any uninsured resident in need of financial assistance at many testing centers in Suffolk County with the help of county funding.
"Access to widespread testing is one of our most critical tools in the battle against COVID-19," said Suffolk County Executive Bellone. "As we get closer to re-opening, Suffolk County will continue to work with all of our partners to ensure our testing sites remain open and anyone who needs to be tested has access."
“I want to thank Legislator Fleming and County Executive Bellone for keeping the South Fork testing site going,” said Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman. “Testing is a critical component in combating covid-19. Anyone who may have the virus needs to know quickly so they can protect themselves and others.”
“Not only is available testing of COVID-19 vital to the health of our community, testing is a key metric in determining the reopening of our economy,” said Suffolk County Legislator Bridget Fleming. “With more testing, we are able to determine the extent of the spread of the disease. I am proud that Suffolk County is taking this step in funding these tests.”
The Southampton COVID 19 testing site will continue to operate every Tuesday and Thursday from 10AM to 3PM. Call (845) 553-8030 to schedule an appointment.
