Memorial Medical Center to resume community testing for COVID-19

Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center will resume COVID-19 diagnostic testing at select community sites beginning Friday.

The testing, which had been paused since mid-July due to widespread difficulty in obtaining testing supplies, will again be made available thanks to support from the City Council, which on Friday approved Mayor Robert Restaino’s request to allocate $50,000 in Community Development Block Grant funds to offset testing costs and kick-start the program.

The first wave of testing will begin Friday and target neighborhoods the medical center has identified as COVID-19 hot spots. A second round of testing beginning Aug. 24 will focus on city schools.

People being tested will be required to provide a saliva sample. To ensure a valid sample, eating, drinking, smoking – including vaping – and brushing one’s teeth are prohibited for at least 30 minutes prior to testing.

Testing at Abate Elementary and Cataract Elementary schools will take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Testing at Niagara Street School will be from 9 a.m. to noon. Test times at other listed sites will be from 1-4 p.m.

Demand for the tests is expected to be brisk and preregistration is recommended. To register or for more information, call 716-278-4496.

Scheduled dates and locations are:

• Friday – Niagara Towers, 901 Cedar Ave.
• Tuesday – Beloved Community, 1710 Calumet Ave.
• Aug. 21 – Spallino Towers, 720 10th St.
• Aug. 24 – Abate Elementary School, 1625 Lockport St.
• Aug. 25 – Niagara Street School, 2513 Niagara St.
• Aug. 28 – Cataract Elementary School, 6431 Girard Ave.
• Aug. 29 – Niagara Falls High School, 4455 Porter Road
• Sept. 4 – Wrobel Towers, 800 Niagara Ave.