Drive-thru testing hours adjust to accommodate Health Mandate 15
With the introduction of State Health Mandate 15, more medical services have been permitted to give patients the care they need including non-urgent/non-emergent elective surgeries and procedures. For many of these, COVID testing is required for patients 48 hours prior, even if they are not experiencing any symptoms.
In response to the mandate, Foundation Health Partners (FHP) relocated the Tanana Valley Clinic (TVC) operated drive-thru testing site from a temporary location downtown to a more long-term option at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital (FMH). The site started seeing patients on May 4.
“We have been able to mirror many of the processes here at FMH,” said FMH Operations Senior Director Joan Sonnenburg. “But, as with all things COVID, things are constantly evolving so we have had to make adjustments. This is tough as it is a rapidly changing paradigm. The testing and timing we offered a month ago looks different than what we are offering now. And, it will probably change again.”
The site will be adjusting the hours for testing. After the first week of operation, it became clear that the hours did not work with the new 48-hour testing requirement for surgeries and procedures. Since the State Virology Lab does not run tests on Sundays, patients were left with a larger than 48 hour gap between test collection and the test results.
The site will continue to operate Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., but will be closed on Saturday and open Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., reserving those hours for patients with procedures early in the week.
“Changing the hours to Sunday afternoon will better serve our patients and providers,” Sonnenburg explains. “Those patients will now be able to make their procedures without worrying about having to reschedule.”
For symptomatic patients, TVC 1st Care will provide test collection over the weekend. The clinic accepts walk-ins every day from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. in its downtown location.
Patients seen at the drive-thru site require a provider referral. Patients without a primary care provider can call the hotline at 458-2888 to discuss symptoms. The hotline will partner with TVC Telemedicine Services, TVC 1st Care and the FMH Emergency Department to direct patients to needed care and facilitate ordering tests for patients.
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