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Stanly Community College’s Crutchfield Campus in Locust will host free coronavirus testing events as part of a partnership between the state and OptumServe.

Drive-thru testing will begin Oct. 14 at the back of the campus parking lot at 101 Stanly Parkway from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Testing will also be available Oct. 15, 16, 19, 20, 21 and 22 during the same times.

While walk-ups are accepted, according to information from the state’s Health and Human Services website, residents are encouraged to register and schedule an appointment at https://lhi.care/covidtesting or by calling 877-562-4850.

Anyone who meets the virus testing criteria can be tested, including people who are underinsured, uninsured, undocumented or homeless.

Carmen Nunalee, vice president of strategic planning and compliance at SCC, is anticipating there will be two tents set up — one to collect people’s information and one to perform the test.

At the onset of the pandemic, SCC President Dr. John Enamait told local health officials that the college was ready to help the community in whatever capacity it could. Several weeks ago, he received an email from Stanly County Health and Human Services Director David Jenkins asking if the college was interested in hosting testing events.

OptumServe, a federal health services business, has performed more than 1 million tests at community-based testing sites across the country.

For more information, go to https://covid19.ncdhhs.gov/about-covid-19/testing/find-my-testing-place/pop-testing-sites.