Testing for those with COVID-19 symptoms or those who have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 is available for free at the local federally-qualified health centers (FQHCs) below:
Neighborhood Family Practice
W. 117 Community Health Center – 11709 Lorain Ave.
By appointment only
Tests are available regardless of one’s ability to pay
Call (216) 281-0872 for information or to schedule an appointment
Results are back in one to three days
Neon Hough
8300 Hough Ave. (West Parking Lot)
By appointment only
Tests are free of charge to the patient
Testing done Mondays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
To schedule and learn more about COVID-19 testing, call (216) 231-7700
Signature Health
21100 Southgate Park Blvd.
By appointment only
Tests are free of charge to the patient
Testing done Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
To schedule COVID-19 testing, call (440) 578-8203
Care Alliance
Central Clinic – 2916 Central Ave.
Drive-thru and walk-up testing, by appointment only
Tests are free of charge to the patient
Call the COVID-19 Nurse Line at (216) 535-9100 and press 6
Testing done Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Results are back in 24 to 48 hours
The Centers
East Office – 4400 Euclid Ave.
Drive-thru and walk-up testing, by appointment only
Tests are free of charge to the patient
Call (216) 325-WELL (9355) to talk with an access specialist, be triaged by a nurse, and schedule your telehealth visit with one of our providers for screening for a test
Testing takes place on Wednesdays, following a Tuesday telehealth visit (required)
Bulk pick-up is typically during the first full week of the month, on your regularly scheduled pick-up day. However, in light of the coronavirus, bulk pick-up has been suspended throughout the month.
“For the safety of our waste collectors, bulk pick-up has been suspended for May. Bulk pick-up requires multi-person teams that interact in close proximity while roll cart collection is automated. In addition, we sadly announced that Senior Day 2020 has been canceled in order to protect to those most vulnerable to the coronavirus,” announced Mayor Frank G. Jackson.
PHOTO CAPTION: New District 23 State Senator Nickie J. Antonio was sworn in Dec. 22 in a ceremony at the Brooklyn Senior Center. Her wife, Jean Kosmac, holds a copy of The Woman’s Bible. The ceremony was officiated by Judge Melody Stewart of the Ohio Eighth District Court of Appeals, who joins the Ohio Supreme Court in January. About 100 people attended the ceremony.
The past week has been a roller coaster for District 13 State Representative Nickie J. Antonio.
On Saturday, she stood before 100 supporters, was sworn in for a new job, and talked with energy and enthusiasm about her plans for the future. On Tuesday, she celebrated the holidays with her wife, Jean Kosmac, and their two adult children, Ariel and Stacey. On Wednesday, she returned to Columbus to participate in a year-end flurry of legislation in the General Assembly.
On Jan. 7, when she returns to Columbus to begin work as the new District 23 State Senator, she will be the first woman to represent District 23, and the first member of the LGBT community ever elected to the State Senate.
District 23 includes West Park, Lakewood, Linndale, Brooklyn, Brooklyn Heights, Brook Park, Parma, Parma Heights, Middleburg Heights, Cuyahoga Heights, Cleveland Wards 11, 13, 15, 16, 17, and parts of Wards 3, 12 and 14.
The Senate District is 3 times larger than House District 13, where Antonio served four terms (2011-2018) and was the Minority Whip for the last two-year term. As a State Senator, she is limited to two consecutive four-year terms.
Looking forward to 2019
Antonio said her legislative agenda includes several areas with special meaning for West Park taxpayers.
Jobs: Small businesses are “the backbone of the community,” Antonio said. She wants to help build “the right climate to bring good-paying jobs to the district.” This includes pushing for infrastructure repair funds to fix roads and bridges and create new jobs.
Education: Antonio, a former teacher, says “We need to reduce high-stakes testing for kids. The kids are stressing out over the tests. Instead, they should be happy and excited about going to school.” She also wants to make schools have “more fair and robust funding.”
Healthy communities: “I want to work on decreasing the infant mortality rate and the maternal mortality rate. We’re losing too many mothers in the first year after the birth of their child.”
Antonio is looking forward to working with another Democrat, Representative Bride Rose Sweeney of West Park. The Democrats are in a minority in both chambers of the General Assembly, and Antonio stresses bi-partisanship as a way to keep legislation moving on meaningful items.
Background
In May, Antonio defeated Martin Sweeney in the primary, and in November, she was elected to State Senate. Her past jobs prepared her well for that role.
From 2006-2010, Antonio served 5 years on Lakewood City Council, and then studied leadership in State and Local Government one summer at the JFK School of Government at Harvard University.
From 1996-2011, she served as President of StAr Communication Consulting, working with non-profit groups in a variety of areas. She stepped down to become a full-time State Legislator. She has also worked as a special education teacher, and during the 1990s, was a non-profit executive director of a women’s outpatient treatment drug/alcohol treatment program.
A graduate of Lutheran West High School, she has two degrees from Cleveland State University — a Bachelors in Special Education and Training, and a Masters of Public Administration, with a focus in Public Policy Analysis and Organizational Development.
She also serves on the Community Engagement Committee for the Beck Center for the Arts and is involved in a number of legislative leadership organizations.
How to contact Nickie Antonio, after Jan. 1, 2019:
Call 614-466-5123
Send e-mail to sd23@ohiosenate.gov
For overall Senate info, go to www.ohiosenate.gov
For more specific info, go to www.ohiosenate.gov/senators/antonio
During much of the year, legislators meet in Columbus on Tuesday through Thursday and spend long weekends in their home districts.
