Graceland University Partners with Test Iowa for Student, Employee COVID-19 Testing

In an ongoing effort to keep the Graceland University Lamoni campus and surrounding community safe, and to continue to limit the spread of COVID-19, Graceland has partnered with the state to become a designated Test Iowa site.

What is Test Iowa?
According to the website testiowa.com, “Test Iowa is a new initiative in partnership with our state leaders and private corporations. Our goal is to dramatically increase the rate of COVID-19 testing so Iowans can have better access to testing and help stem the spread of COVID-19 to get us back to normal as quickly as possible.”

As of Tuesday, Sept. 15, Graceland students and employees who work or attend classes on the Lamoni campus, have an Iowa zip code and are showing symptoms of COVID-19 are eligible to be tested on campus at no cost. Students and employees who work or attend classes on the Lamoni campus but live across the border in Missouri (just four miles south of Lamoni) are not currently eligible for testing at Graceland’s Test Iowa site, and community members who do not attend classes or work at Graceland are also not eligible to be tested at the site at this time.

Graceland University President Patricia H. Draves said of the announcement, “This is an exciting partnership for Graceland that will help the university continue to fight the spread of COID-19 on our Lamoni campus and, in doing so, continue to also protect the Lamoni community. We are grateful to the State of Iowa for this opportunity to better serve our students and employees, and to help ensure we are able to finish out the fall semester in person – even during such a challenging time.”

A limited number of staff members of the university have been providing administrative support during testing hours, each with proper personal protective equipment. The medical support has been provided by Graceland alumna Amy Sherman, a nurse who lives in Lamoni.

Sherman said, “I think the Test Iowa partnership is integral to the ongoing success of Graceland for the remainder of the semester, and for the health and welfare of the students, faculty and staff, and I’m happy to be a part of the process to keep our community healthy.”

Graceland has implemented many safety guidelines to limit the risk of infection of COVID-19 for students and employees as they learn and work in person together. The Test Iowa site is the latest in a continuing effort to provide support to the work of the entire campus and help ensure students can finish this unprecedented fall semester in Lamoni. Visit the Toward Together page for more information on Graceland’s COVID-19 efforts and guidelines.