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Drive-up
COVID-19
test site
opens
PUTNAM — Day Kimball Medical Group (DKMG), the physician practices of Day Kimball Healthcare (DKH), opened a drive-up collection site for COVID-19 testing April 16 at the Killingly Intermediate School on Upper Maple Street in Dayville.
The collection site is open from 2 to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Weekend hours will be determined over time to best serve the needs of the community.
Only patients who have been evaluated by a health care provider for COVID-19 symptoms and who have a valid prescription order from their physician may be tested at the drive-up collection site. On-demand or walk-up testing is not available.
To obtain a test order, patients with COVID-19 symptoms such as cough, fever, and shortness of breath should contact their health care provider to be evaluated for their symptoms. Once the individual is determined to be a candidate for testing, the clinician will submit a physician order for the COVID-19 test. Physician orders will be processed immediately upon receipt, and the patient will be contacted directly by DKMG and set up with the first available collection appointment.
On-site signage will direct patients to the secure drive-up collection area, outside the school. Patients will stay in their vehicles where a health care worker will verbally verify the patient’s identity and then perform the swab. If there is more than one person in the vehicle, each person will need a valid prescription order to be tested.
Those who have been directed to the drive-thru location should be aware of the following: Patients who do not have a provider’s order will not be tested; patients will need to bring with them a valid photo ID to the collection site; patients will drive through a secured, marked area and will remain in their vehicles throughout the entire collection process; no outdoor restrooms will available; the sample is collected via a nasal swab; the process typically takes less than 30 seconds; the sample will be tested for the novel coronavirus; individuals will be contacted directly with their results within 2-3 days depending on regional test volume. As volumes increase, wait times for results may be longer; no medical screening or on-site medical evaluation will be performed; while waiting for their test results, individuals should stay at home. Those who receive positive COVID-19 test results may be issued additional care orders or self-isolation orders.
“Community-based collection sites are meant to decompress hospital emergency departments and physicians’ offices, preserve personal protective equipment, and centralize testing options,” said Gerald Sullivan, MD, family medicine physician, Day Kimball Medical Group. “The drive-up collection site will minimize unnecessary visits into clinical offices, waiting rooms, and hospital emergency departments, mitigating the potential spread of COVID-19.
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