In the spring of 2020, PPMM embarked on an innovative partnership with public officials in the cities of Tracy, Monterey, and Mountain View to provide drive-through sites for COVID-19 testing at no cost to those with health insurance, including Medi-Cal. Anyone is welcome.
Now, eight months later, we have conducted more than 10,000 tests at these sites, including for first responders who play a critical role in helping to fight the virus.
During that time our dedicated health care staff working at the drive-through locations have received everything from tears of gratitude, to special deliveries of flowers and baked treats, to hand-delivered thank-you notes from grateful patients.
“It’s not unusual to see three generations of a family in one vehicle,” said Health Center Site Supervisor Maru A., who helped out at one of the drive-through sites. “They are so happy and relieved that they can get tested all at once.”
County officials we worked with to launch the test sites approached PPMM because many local health care organizations were unable to conduct enough community testing, and they knew that our health centers had already begun providing COVID tests. People with or without symptoms can get a COVID test at our drive-through sites, and our staff can also sign people up to get Medi-Cal coverage for the test. All insurance types are accepted, and the insurance will not bill patients, in compliance with a California requirement for insurance carriers.
“The COVID-19 testing that Planned Parenthood Mar Monte brought to our community has been invaluable,” said Monterey County Supervisor Mary Adams. “PPMM stepped forward just when we needed them most.”
In fact, setting up the drive-through site in Mountain View was merely an extension of a working relationship that PPMM had already begun with local officials when they strongly supported the relocation of our new health center in the city several years ago.
“Expanding the scope of our partnership made perfect sense,” Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian said in June. “We need to significantly increase testing in the county, and Planned Parenthood has the capable staff and capacity to help get it done.”
The effort began in April with the Tracy drive-through testing site and expanded a month later to the site on the Monterey Peninsula College campus. Thousands of people were also tested at the Mountain View site in the summer though it has since closed because the county was eventually able to provide enough testing on its own. The Tracy and Monterey sites are continuing to operate several days during the week.
The team of clinicians and health services specialists from our health centers became accustomed to seeing a long line of waiting cars at 8 a.m., when the testing sites opened. Many of those who came through mentioned that they had recently lost jobs in the economic fallout from the pandemic.
Health Services Specialist Lauren R., who conducted testing at the Monterey site, said she often helped drive-through patients to enroll in California’s public family planning services program for those who have low incomes or have lost insurance.
“We hear from patients at the site who are surprised to know that Planned Parenthood provides services like COVID testing and helping people sign up for public programs,” Lauren said. “Every day I’m there, I’m reminded that it’s awesome that we’re such a financial help to our patients.”
The drive-through testing sites are another way that PPMM has provided strong community leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Learn more about our drive-through testing sites Monterey and Tracy:
Tags: community_partners, covid_testing