School district opens doors for COVID testing

As the Unit 1 School District continues to investigate an in-house COVID testing program for students, it has opened its doors to a testing company.
In his weekly communication to parents and guardians, Unit 1 Superintendent Dr. Kent Bugg announced the district has partnered with Healthy Medical, Inc., to offer a more affordable testing option for parents than what is available through local health care facilities.
As Bugg shared a week earlier, it was brought to his attention that one local medical center is now requiring a $150 payment at time of testing and another needing a medical script before testing is completed. Additionally, there are limitations on testing asymptomatic individuals.
Testing is available three days a week—Monday, Wednesday and Friday—from 8 a.m. to noon at the school district’s administrative office, 550 S. Carbon Hill Road.
The service started on Monday, and is open to any child or adult in the community. The cost is $30.
According to Bugg, any asymptomatic individual wanting to take advantage of the testing option should enter the administration building through the east door, and symptomatic individuals need to call 815-450-5504 and testing will be completed at the car.
“We remain hopeful that we can find a free testing option in the near future, but until then, this option is available at a lower cost than many of our area’s health care facilities,” Bugg said.
Additional information can be obtained at healthymedical.org or by calling the previously listed number.
The school district’s COVID cases continue to remain low with just two positive student cases—one each at the elementary and middle schools—recorded during the 10-day period from Sept. 15-24. There were no staff cases during the reporting period.
“I am pleased that this week’s COVID data continues to show our school district performing significantly better than Grundy County at large when it comes to positive COVID cases. This is a testament to both our COVID mitigation strategies and the diligence of our staff and students in following all health and safety protocols,” Bugg said.
The Grundy County Health Department reported on Monday that several small outbreaks—classrooms and buses—have been reported in other areas of the county, but no entire school or district is presently in an outbreak status.
“Our local data provides consistent evidence that our schools are a safe place for our staff to work and students to learn,” said Bugg.