DHHS announces free at-home COVID testing for Nebraska residents

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) -The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services announced on Tuesday a free at-home COVID-19 testing initiative for all Nebraska residents.

DHHS is finalizing a contract with eMed, a healthcare solutions company to provide 200,000 at-home COVID-19 test kits for Nebraska residents. DHHS will work with local health departments to place kits for pickup at locations throughout the state.

Once picked up, Nebraskans can perform the test on their own or be helped through a video call. DHHS will have the option to buy more tests if needed.

The at-home testing options are expected to begin being made available during the first week of February. A website with testing locations is in progress and will be made available in the coming days.

In addition, the Nebraska Public Health Lab —which is a cooperative partnership between the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), DHHS, and Nebraska Medicine—is working to connect with private testing facilities to help process tests during periods of high demand.