Hackensack Meridian Health on Thursday said it received a $12 million New Jersey Department of Health grant to expand its testing capacity for COVID-19 and other infectious diseases.

“The network has been at the epicenter of the COVID-19 crisis in New Jersey and has treated more than 16,000 patients and continues to support the development of groundbreaking therapies and a COVID vaccine,” said CEO Robert Garrett in a prepared statement. “We look forward to our continued partnership with the New Jersey Department of Health.’’

HMH launched the state’s first commercial COVID test a week after New Jersey’s first patient was hospitalized in early March. According to the health system, the test reduced the wait time from several days to hours, thus helping physicians better manage emergency department volume and isolate positive patients sooner to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The grant will support the purchase of rapid and non-rapid testing platforms and materials that detect current infection and the presence of antibodies, which could triple HMH’s weekly testing capacity. HMH has conducted more than 200,000 COVID-19 tests to date.

Additionally, the grant will enable the network to better reach underserved populations that are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19.

“These critical funds will allow us to keep reaching our communities, especially those that are more vulnerable to the effects of COVID-19,” said Chief Physician Executive Dr. Daniel Varga. “We are incredibly grateful to the New Jersey Department of Health for their support of Hackensack Meridian Health and our contribution to patient care and research, especially during these unprecedented times.”

Existing hospital laboratory system’s resources for infectious disease testing will also be upgraded through the funding.