COVID-19 testing coming to North County and West Valley
SAN JOSE – Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian today announced new community-wide testing sites in Mountain View, Palo Alto, Los Altos and Cupertino:
- Community-wide testing offered directly by Santa Clara County using a mobile testing van and/or “pop-up” testing in Los Altos, Cupertino and Palo Alto; and,
- No-cost testing led by and in partnership with El Camino Healthcare District. The new testing location is at El Camino’s 2500 Grant Road location in Mountain View.
“We’re finally getting some traction on testing,” said Simitian. “It’s not yet as much as I’d like to see, and it’s certainly not as fast as I’d like to see, but it’s progress.”
Mobile Testing
County officials have announced that the County’s mobile testing van (operated by the County’s Valley Medical Center) and/or pop-up testing centers will be deployed in three cities in Supervisorial District Five this week:
- Los Altos: Testing will be available at the Los Altos Youth Center at 1 N SanAntonio Road, Los Altos on Tuesday, June 16th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Cupertino: Testing will be available at Creekside Park at 10445 Miller Avenue on Tuesday, June 16 through Thursday, June 18 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day; and,
- Palo Alto: Testing will be available at Palo Alto City Hall at 250 Hamilton Avenue inside the lobby from Tuesday, June 16th through Friday, June 19th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day.
For these three County operated testing venues, tests are free, no appointment is necessary, and tests are provided regardless of where someone lives.
Simitian noted that recent pop-up testing by the County in both Mountain View and Los Altos Hills had been, “tremendously popular, with great turnout in both venues.” Simitian added that, “Our city governments have been terrific partners – helping with testing locations, logistics, and personnel. We can do so much more when we work together this way.”
El Camino Health
Testing is also available now to those who work, live, or go to school in the El Camino Healthcare District. The District includes most of Mountain View, Los Altos and Los Altos Hills; and a large portion of Sunnyvale.
“I’m pleased El Camino is now offering no-cost testing in Mountain View five days a week, which has been made possible by the funding from the El Camino Healthcare District Board,” said Simitian. “El Camino’s CEO Dan Woods expressed his enthusiasm for such an effort right from the start.”
“As a community hospital, we’re making every effort to eliminate any barriers for our community in getting a test,” said Dan Woods, Chief Executive Officer of El Camino Health. “We are pleased to be able to support the District’s COVID-19 testing initiative by serving as a testing site.”
“In my view, anyone who wants a test should be able to get one, if only because it's in the interest of our entire county to have a clearer picture of what's happening throughout the community,” said Simitian. “This new testing location in Mountain View will be relatively easy to access for most North County residents,” he noted.
Appointments are required to get a test at El Camino. Tests may be scheduled by calling 650-940-7022, Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, visit www.elcaminohealth.org/covid19testing.
“Convenience is key,” said Simitian. “If we want more people to be tested, making locally available and convenient sites is essential.”