Ohio National Guard to Bolster Support in Southern Ohio, Cleveland Walker Center Testing Location to Close

(COLUMBUS, Ohio)—Ohio Governor Mike DeWine today said that Ohio National Guard support will continue to shift to address increasing needs in southern Ohio in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Decreasing demand at some of the first Guard-supported COVID-19 testing locations in Northeast Ohio will allow the Guard to surge into other areas in the state, including Central and Southern Ohio that are seeing increased need. Changes in Guard deployment include new support for testing locations in several Southeastern Ohio communities including Athens, Pomeroy, and Jackson.

National Guard Supported Testing Locations

As of today, the Guard is currently supporting or is preparing to support the following testing locations:

  • Athens: (Holzer) 2131 E. State St., Athens.
  • Canton: (Aultman/Cleveland Clinic Mercy), Stark County Fairgrounds, 305 Wertz Ave. NW, Canton.
  • Chillicothe: Adena Regional Medical Center, 272 Hospital Rd., Chillicothe.
  • Cincinnati: (Ethos Laboratories), Crossroads Church, 990 Reading Rd., Mason.
  • Cincinnati: (Ethos Laboratories), Riverbend, 6201 Kellogg Ave., Cincinnati.
  • Cincinnati: UC Health, 321 Albert Sabin Way, Cincinnati.
  • Cleveland: Walker Center (Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals), 10524 Euclid Ave., Cleveland.
  • Columbus: (Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center), first floor of the CAS parking garage at 2540 Olentangy River Rd., Columbus.
  • Dayton: (Premier Health) Miami Valley Hospital, 1 Wyoming St., Dayton.
  • Gallipolis: (Holzer) 2881 State Route 160, Gallipolis.
  • Jackson: (Holzer) 500 Burlington Rd., Jackson.
  • Mansfield: Avita Ontario Hospital, 715 Richland Mall, Mansfield.
  • Maumee: Lucas County Recreation Center, 2901 Key St., Maumee.
  • Pomeroy: (Holzer) 88 East Memorial Dr., Pomeroy.
  • Springboro: Dayton Children’s Hospital Springboro COVID-19 testing site, 3300 W. Tech Road, Springboro.
  • Toledo: UAW Local 12, 2300 Ashland Ave., Toledo.
  • Zanesville: Genesis Hospital, 2951 Maple Ave., Zanesville.

Please note that start dates and plans for pending locations are subject to change. Not all Guard members who have been deployed are located onsite yet. Testing locations supported by National Guard members will test individuals age 2 years and older. Check with your local testing site for potential age restrictions.

As a result of decreasing testing demand, the final day of COVID-19 testing at the Walker Cleveland Community COVID-19 Testing site will be Sunday, Jan. 23. The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) and Ohio National Guard have been working collaboratively with Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals to operate the site that opened on Dec. 21 and has tested nearly 25,000 people.

Additionally, Summit County’s drive-thru testing location in Akron closed last week. The site, which opened on Dec. 28 and performed approximately 11,892 tests over 18 days, was operated by Summit County Public Health, Akron Children’s Hospital, Cleveland Clinic Akron General, and Summa Health with Guard support.

Guard deployments to date include 14 medical teams (about 140 Guard members) and 185 general support teams (about 1,850 Guard members). Of the general support teams, 17 (about 170 Guard members) are providing support at testing centers, according to the Ohio National Guard. In total, nearly 2,400 Ohio National Guard and State Defense Force members have been deployed in support of COVID-19 operations across Ohio to include hospital support, vaccinations at senior housing locations, prison support, and support at the Ohio Department of Health’s Receipt, Store, and Stage warehouse.