Appointment-Only, Drive-Thru Covid 19 Testing Available 7 Days A Week Through UMC Las Vegas

Press release from the Clark County Government:

May 20, 2020

Clark County and University Medical Center are offering appointment-only, drive-thru COVID-19 testing at the Orleans Hotel & Casino seven days a week, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. The testing is free for anyone who doesn't have insurance and is open to anyone, whether exhibiting symptoms of the virus or not. Appointments can be made via UMC's website at www.umcsn.com.

The drive-thru operation is located on the first floor of the parking garage on the west site of the Orleans property off Cameron Street. The site is staffed by Clark County, UMC and the Nevada National Guard. The Orleans is located at 4500 W. Tropicana Ave.

The Orleans drive-thru site is now accepting 900 appointments per day, and officials are continuing to work on expanding capacity. The type of testing available at the site is polymerase chain reaction tests, better known as PCR tests, which show whether someone currently has COVID-19. Anyone wanting to schedule a test can make an appointment by visiting the COVID-19 Testing Center on the home page of UMC's website at www.umcsn.com or call CPL at (702)
795-4932, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Select the "public" option to arrive at the online testing registration form. After filling out the form and clicking "submit," a representative from UMC will call people back to book their appointments.

Data tracking is critical, and local public health authorities and counties will be required to submit information to the state involving PPE supply, testing and timely reporting of suspected and confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths. Per the Roadmap to Recovery released by Gov. Steve Sisolak's office, "The State is actively monitoring statewide COVID-19 data reporting for progress toward meeting reopening criteria and will continue [to] require robust reporting from public health authorities and counties throughout Nevada moving progressively through each phase. Community-based testing is critical to Nevada's effort to reopen the economy and keep it open. (Testing) will allow local, state, and tribal leaders to assess the effectiveness in prevention measures and to identify and facilitate interventions for future outbreaks."

Federal funding through the CARES Act will cover the costs for testing for those with no insurance. Patients who have insurance will be asked to provide it for billing purposes, and depending on their insurance may not have a co-pay. When patients arrive for their appointment, they will be checked in and directed to a drive-up testing station. Medical professionals will conduct the test as patients remain in their cars. Test collection samples will be sent to UMC's lab for analysis. Results are expected to be available to patients within 24 to 48 hours. The results, positive or negative, will be reported to the Southern Nevada Health District.

The type of testing available at the site is polymerase chain reaction tests, better known as PCR tests, which show whether someone currently has the coronavirus. UMC is working on expanding its capacity to process PCR tests to 10,000 a day by June 1. UMC also expects to offer anti-body testing for coronavirus, which shows whether someone is currently infected or may have been infected in the past, later this month at more a limited capacity.

Additionally, the Southern Nevada Health District is working with local jurisdictions to conduct testing in senior residential complexes and other facilities located in high-risk areas.

As businesses and facilities reopen in phases, it will continue to be important for residents to help limit the spread of COVID-19 by social distancing and wearing face coverings in public places, washing hands and practicing good cough and sneeze hygiene, and limiting your contact with others if you test positive for the virus or someone in your immediate household does.

This press release was produced by the Clark County Government. The views expressed here are the author’s own.