A drive-thru COVID-19 testing location at Owensboro Community & Technical College will be open for three days next week to anyone, including those who are showing no symptoms. As many as 1,000 total tests are expected to be available with an expected turnaround time of 48 hours.
The location at 4800 New Hartford Road will be open April 28-30 from 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
The tests will be self-administered nasal swabs, and a clinician will be standing there to provide instruction and monitor it.
Those seeking a test can visit KrogerHealth’s online portal at krogerhealth.com/covidtesting. According to the confirmation page on that portal, individuals need to arrive to their appointment with an ID and confirmation page ready and leave the window rolled up. A healthcare practitioner will bring the kit to the car for you to complete the test.
“Our goal is to provide you with quick results; we will provide you an estimate of the turnaround time for results on the day of your test. If your test is positive for COVID-19, the local health department and a Kroger Health clinician will call you to inform you,” according to the confirmation page. “If your results are negative, you will be able to view them on our patient portal as soon as the results are received.”
All of the testing scheduling and procedures are being handled by Kroger Health, with OCTC simply serving as the site.
“Basically we’re providing the facilities,” said OCTC President Scott Williams. “They’re using our parking lots, but Kroger is really the one in charge of the testing.”
Gov. Andy Beshear announced that all drive-thru testing at sites in partnership with Kroger are now open to anyone who wants to be tested.
“We want everybody who is sick, everybody who is symptomatic, everybody who is in the vulnerable populations and certainly our first responders and others to get in there,” he said. “But at this point we want to use our capacity. We want to get some extra data too about what’s out there, maybe learn a little bit about some asymptomatic rates.”
People who go to OCTC for a test will enter the campus from U.S. 231. State police will be there to check everyone in before directing them around campus as needed. Everyone will exit onto Veach Road.
The location serves as a regional hub, meaning residents from outside Daviess County can also be tested there.
“We’re tickled to death to be playing a small part in helping to keep our community safe,” Williams said. “We’re glad to be able to assist in this manner.”
Clay Horton, director at Green River District Health Department, said the temporary site will be a big help in increasing testing capabilities locally.
“Our local partners in the healthcare community have done a great job in providing COVID-19 testing,” he said. “But a lack of enough tests has been a challenge nationally and here in Kentucky. This project will help people throughout the region needing to be tested and give them additional access to those resources.”
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The Owensboro Health coronavirus hotline is available 24/7 by calling 877-888-6647. Call the hotline before seeking in-person care. More information from OH can be found here.
For the latest information and data on COVID-19 in Kentucky visit kycovid19.ky.gov or dial the Kentucky state hotline at 800-722-5725.
For the latest health guidelines and resources from the CDC, visit their website here.
