CLEVELAND, Ohio — With students heading back to the classroom and college campuses, keeping everyone safe and healthy is a priority. A community college in Northeast Ohio is doing its part by offering free COVID-19 testing.

What You Need To Know

  • Cuyahoga Community College is offering free COVID-19 testing to the community

  • The testing is on Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

  • The testing will rotate between all four Tri-C campuses

Cuyahoga Community College partnered with Care Alliance to make this free testing available not only to students and staff, but to the community as well. You don't even need a doctor's note. All you have to do is register.

"We thought it'd be a great idea if we could allow an easy free way for our students, faculty, and staff, as well as the surrounding community, to be tested for COVID-19," said Jenny Febbo, vice-president of integrated communications at Tri-C.

Free and easy is exactly what the testing is at Cuyahoga Community College — known as "Tri-C." People wanting to be tested either drive or walk up to the testing site. They give their registration information and then have their nose swabbed. Tri-C said it's important to have this testing to help keep the community safe.

"As we've learned as we've gone along, is that not everyone exhibits symptoms. So, even if you aren't exhibiting symptoms, it's a good idea to get the test just to be sure you don't have it," said Febbo.

Dr. Claude Jones is the president and CEO of Care Alliance. He said he's happy to partner with Tri-C to bring this testing to communities that need it most.

"We're looking at the areas and communities that COVID really affect. That's the underserved community and minority communities. This is the community we serve at Care Alliance as part of our mission. We call ourselves public servants, so we want to come out and help with COVID testing as much as possible," said Dr. Jones.

Testing will rotate through all four Tri-C campuses from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursdays. Again, you don't need a doctor's note, but you are asked to register ahead of time.

Dr. Jones said patients will get their results back fairly quick.

"The turnaround right now is between 24 and 48 hours, maybe a little longer, depending on if it was done closer to the weekend," he said.

Care Alliance hopes to test 150 people on each testing day. The testing will go through November 19.

If you would like to register to get tested, contact Care Alliance.