St. Louis County Government: St. Louis County Library In Partnership With County Department Of Public Health Greatly Expands Locations T ...

Press release from the St. Louis County Government:

February 9, 2022

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, MO (February 9, 2022) - Starting today, the St. Louis County Library is more than doubling the number of locations where residents may pick up free COVID-19 test kits provided by the County Department of Public Health.

On Jan. 24, the library began distributing DPH test kits at two branch locations, and it added a third branch on Monday. Today, in partnership with DPH, the library is temporarily adding four new branches to the distribution network.

These new branch locations are the Cliff Cave branch, the Grant’s View branch, the Meramec Valley branch and the Oak Bend branch.

Also starting today, DPH is increasing the number of test kits available per day per branch from 25 to 100.

Residents must make appointments to pick up a test kit at any of the six branch locations by calling 314-994-3300. In-person reservations will not be accepted. Kits will be available for curbside pick-up at the designated branch.

Each test kit contains a PCR saliva test along with detailed instructions. Test kits must be returned to a Department of Public Health Center drop-off site for processing and results. Library facilities will not accept samples for testing.

“One of our most important tools in fighting COVID-19 is testing,” said County Executive Dr. Sam Page. “It helps public health experts know how widespread the virus is, and it allows those who have been exposed to the virus or with symptoms to determine their status and take the necessary precautions.”

Today’s expansion adds locations in South County, which DPH has recently identified as an area in which COVID is spreading faster than the county average.

Here are all the branch locations:

• Cliff Cave Branch 5430 Telegraph Road St. Louis, MO 63129
• Grant’s View Branch 9700 Musick Road St. Louis, MO 63123
• Lewis & Clark Branch 9909 Lewis-Clark Blvd. St. Louis, MO 63136
• Meramec Valley Branch 625 New Smizer Mill Road Fenton, MO 63026
• Oak Bend Branch 842 S. Holmes Ave. St. Louis, MO 63122
• Rock Road Branch 10267 St. Charles Rock Road St. Ann, MO 63074
• Weber Road Branch 4444 Weber Road St. Louis, MO 63123

The hours for pickup by phone appointment are from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday.

Residents must bring their test samples to the following DPH facilities from 8 a.m. to 4:40 p.m. Monday-Thursday or from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Fridays:

• John C. Murphy Health Center, 6121 North Hanley Berkeley, MO 63134
• North Central Community Health Center, 4000 Jennings Station Rd Pine Lawn, MO 63121
• South County Health Center, 4580 South Lindbergh Blvd. Saint Louis, MO 63127

Also today, the Eureka Fire Protection District is partnering with the St. Louis County Department of Public Health to distribute free DPH COVID-19 test kits to the public. Distribution will run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Eureka Community Center at 333 Bald Hill.

The County Library also hosts weekly COVID-19 vaccine clinics at four branches. Information about library vaccine clinics is available here. And as always, DPH clinics offer testing by appointment at its three health centers. See ReviveSTL.com for details or to make an appointment.

“The number of COVID cases reported each day is falling. That’s good news. However, the virus is still spreading throughout the community,” Page said. “We cannot let up on our mitigation efforts that include vaccines, masking and testing. The effective mitigation efforts will get us to where we want to be – to a place where COVID-19 is not a driver in our daily decision making.”

This press release was produced by the St. Louis County Government. The views expressed here are the author’s own.