Henrico Health Department to conduct virus testing at Woodman West, Henrico Arms

Henrico Health Department officials this week will visit the Woodman West and Henrico Arms apartment complexes to conduct free COVID-19 testing for residents and those who live nearby who are experiencing symptoms of the virus.

It’s part of what Henrico Health Director Danny Avula expects to be a month-long effort to visit and test residents of public housing and other at-risk communities in the county. Avula told the Citizen last week that he hopes the efforts will test 100 to 200 people each weekday and some weekends.

Officials are not publicly announcing the names of other communities at which testing will be conducted, but Avula previously mentioned that another would be the St. Luke apartments (formerly Essex Village), adjacent to Richmond Raceway.

Residents of or near Woodman West and Henrico Arms who are having shortness or breath, coughing or fever should call the Henrico Health Department’s hotline at 205-3501 for information about testing opportunities.

Other free COVID-19 testing is being offered this week for people who may not have insurance, or whose insurance does not cover COVID-19.  The purpose of the onsite community location testing is to provide access to testing in vulnerable communities where residents may not have access, officials said.

Specific site locations are not being made public, in order to conduct the testing in an orderly and efficient fashion, they said, and to adhere to social distancing guidelines.