As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread, Oswego County has implemented several steps to help its citizens receive testing and vaccines more efficiently.
In a statement released on the Oswego County website, Legislature Chairman Jim Weatherup announced that the county is offering free transportation to anyone who cannot get to a vaccination or testing appointment themselves. According to the announcement, the service will be provided by the Oswego County Public Transit program. The program is a partnership between the county government and Oswego County Opportunities, a non-profit organization.
“We do not want the lack of transportation to be a barrier for those who need to be tested or are eligible to receive the vaccine,” Weatherup said in the statement. “Our fear is that there are residents who simply won’t seek these services due to their inability to get to the respective sites that offer them. Everyone deserves the opportunity and this is one way to help make that happen.”
There are currently seven different testing sites throughout Oswego County. This includes two within the city of Oswego, at WellNow Urgent Care and Oswego Health. A full list of testing sites throughout the county can be found under the “Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)” tab on the Oswego County Health website.
The free service was made possible by funding that the county received via the CARES Act, which was passed in March 2020. CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security) was created to “provide fast and direct economic assistance for American workers, families, and small businesses, and preserve jobs for American industries,” according to the U.S. Treasury website.
Through the CARES Act, the county will be fully reimbursed for all of the costs of providing transportation to residents.
“We are pretty rural and we know we have a lot of challenges with transportation for folks, especially this time of year,” David Turner said, Oswego County’s director of community development, tourism and planning. “[Oswego County] has a lot of poverty in the northeastern part of the county that is very rural, and for them to get someplace is a challenge as well.”
The program is already being utilized by residents throughout the county.
It is believed that free transportation will specifically prove most beneficial to senior citizens.
“Many seniors just won’t drive in the winter,” Turner said. “A lot of [seniors] don’t have transportation.”
“We had a call request to transport anywhere from 60 to 80 individuals from senior housing,” said Gary Mashaw, director of transportation for Oswego County Opportunities. “And we’re going to do it. [The program] is going to grow… the senior housing really needs this transportation option.”
Offering transportation is not the first step that the county has taken to help out its residents, either. On Tuesday, Feb. 2, the county offered free rapid testing to anyone living in Oswego County. There were 100 tests available, and testing took place on the campus of Cayuga Community College in Fulton.
In addition to the testing at CCC, the county also offered 100 more free rapid tests for Oswego County residents at Central Square High School. These tests took place on the following Tuesday on Feb. 9.
According to the Oswego County Health website, there are currently 379 active cases of COVID in the area, as of the most recent update, Feb. 4. In addition, there are nearly 900 people currently in isolation or quarantine due to the risk of exposure.
Residents who need transportation to a vaccination or testing appointment can call (315) 598-1514 in order to ensure they can receive assistance. Calls should be made in advance. Transportation will be available from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. from Monday through Friday, according to the Oswego County Health website. Residents over the age of 65 can call (315) 349-3484 should they need help scheduling an appointment.
Patrick Higgins | The Oswegonian
