GREAT FALLS — Alluvion Health has opened a drive-through COVID-19 testing clinic in Great Falls.
Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, Alluvion partnered with Cascade County to open a stand-alone clinic where people with respiratory symptoms could be tested for COVID-19 on a walk-in basis. Governor Steve Bullock last week set a target for Montana to provide 60,000 tests per month.
The drive-through clinic is in the parking lot of the former Westgate Mall with marked entrances and exits.
"Right now we have the capability to test over 1,000 individuals,” clinic manager Trixie Smith said.
During the first day of testing, appointments were completely booked every 15 minutes between 10 a.m. and 5:15 p.m. Tests take a matter of minutes for drivers to complete a swab of their nose and provide their medical information before they leave to await the results, which are provided in 1 to 5 days.
However, the criteria for those who are eligible for testing is very specific. Great Falls Emergency Services manager Justin Grohs explained how the process leading up to the testing works. “This drive-through testing is the culmination of a process that starts with a call in to Alluvion and includes a TeleHealth visit with an RN to determine that the testing is appropriate and needed,” Grohs said.
“Right now we are having individuals call and go through a screening process. They will be screened by a nurse. at that time once they receive the screening and they are eligible, then they are put on a provider’s schedule, and then the provider will do a telehealth visit with them. and if they meet all the criteria then they would be referred to the drive-thru,” Smith said.
While some might worry that additional tests might indicate a rising number of cases, Smith said that’s not the reason for the drive-thru testing. “We are just trying to identify individuals in the community who maybe have slight symptoms and we wanna know if they’re infectious or not...this is just a way - another way- that we can increase the number of tests that we can do,” Smith said.
Drive-through clinic hours will be from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and by appointment only. Appointments are available on a first-come first-served basis by calling 406-791-7929.
The test is a COVID-19 PCR test supervised by a trained medical professional and results should be available in one to five days. All insurance is accepted, and no person will be denied testing or treatment by Alluvion due to inability to pay. In addition, COVID-19 test charges that are not covered by insurance will not be the patient’s responsibility.
Those interested in testing must call Alluvion Health at (406) 791-7929 to schedule a screening and appointment.