Alluvion Heath is opening a drive-through COVID-19 testing clinic May 4 in the parking lot of the former Westgate Mall on 3rd Street Northwest.
The intent is for those who have had symptoms, who have been exposed to a confirmed case, or who have a clinical reason to be tested, which will be assessed by a healthcare provider, according to Tanya Houston, Alluvion’s director of communications and workforce development.
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Under the phased reopening plan, Gov. Steve Bullock set a target for Montana to provide 60,000 tests per month and Alluvion’s drive-through clinic is being partially funded with grant dollars. Alluvion is a federal qualified health care center that was previously under Cascade County government but is now a standalone nonprofit and received $503,000 in CARES Act funding from the U.S. Health Resource and Services Administration.
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Alluvion will be using the PCR test, which is the same testing used by the Montana state lab, Houston said.
These tests are collected onsite and depending on acuity and volume Alluvion will send the tests to the state lab or other certified labs, Houston said.
Results should be available in 1 to 5 days, according to Alluvion.
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Positive tests are reported to the Cascade County City-County Health Department for tracking and contact tracing, Houston said.
Alluvion will sharing numbers as aggregate data, which will provide the number of negatives, Houston told The Electric.
The Alluvion drive-through process is by appointment only and patients will have to complete a screening process, which includes a call to Alluvion Health’s special number at 406-791-7929 and a telehealth visit with a provider to determine appropriateness for a COVID-19 test, Houston said.
In March, Cascade County approved a contract with Alluvion to open a standalone clinic in a vacant area of CCHD where individuals showing respiratory symptoms could be screened for other viral or respiratory issues and then tested for COVID-19 if necessary.
To date, 225 patients have been seen there, Houston said.
For the drive-through COVID-19 test, insurance will be billed and Houston said most payors are waiving any patient co-pay or deductible. Uninsured of self-pay patients won’t be billed, she said.
The drive through will be in the parking lot of the former Westgate Mall with marked entrances and exits. Calumet Montana Refining is allowing use of the parking lot, which it owns.
Drive through clinic hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
