Clark County and UMC announced that May 22 is the last day drive-thru COVID-19 testing will be available at the Orleans Hotel & Casino.
The drive-thru operation will move to UNLV’s Tropicana Avenue parking garage located next to the Thomas & Mack Center, and will reopen to the public at 8 a.m. May 27.
Clark County and UMC are operating the site in partnership with Clinical Pathology Laboratories (CPL), the Nevada National Guard, UNLV and University Police Services.
There are no out-of-pocket costs to patients. The site is open to anyone, whether exhibiting symptoms of the virus or not. Hours of operation will be 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. six days a week, Monday-Saturday. Patients will be directed to enter the Thomas & Mack parking lot from the west off University Center Drive. Appointments can be scheduled by visiting the COVID-19 Testing Center on the home page of UMC’s website at www.umcsn.com or by calling CPL at (702) 795-4932, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The UNLV site will offer two new features to the public:
- A walk-up testing area will be established to accommodate pedestrians and those who arrive by bicycle or motorcycle for a test. Drive-thru testing is only available to patients in enclosed vehicles.
- Children of all ages can be tested at the UNLV Tropicana site with parental consent.
- “Our drive-thru operation at the Orleans has been an important part of our community’s efforts to reopen our economy,” said Clark County Commission Chairman Marilyn Kirkpatrick. “Boyd Gaming has been a tremendous partner in helping us make this operation a success. We are looking forward to continuing the operation at UNLV and improving upon it as we continue to offer expanded testing services to the public.”
The Orleans site was the first testing location in the Las Vegas Valley to offer by-appointment testing to people with and without symptoms. It opened May 5 with an initial capacity of 300 tests a day and now offers up to 1,200 tests a day. To date more than 10,000 patients have been tested at the site.
The type of testing available is polymerase chain reaction tests, better known as PCR tests, which show whether someone currently has COVID-19. Federal funding through the CARES Act will cover the costs for testing for those with no insurance. Patients who have insurance will be asked to provide the information for billing purposes but will not have any co-pay. Patients are asked to arrive about 15 minutes prior to their appointment time to get checked in and directed to a drive-up testing station. Medical professionals conduct the test as patients remain in their cars.
After scheduling an appointment with UMC, patients will receive information about how to access test results through UMConnect, UMC’s electronic medical record, through the MyChart app and website at https://umconnect.umcsn.com.Results are typically available within 48 hours. Patients who register for testing with Clinical Pathology Laboratories (CPL) can access to their COVID-19 test results by visiting www.cpllabs.com/sonicmyaccess or texting “CPL” to 66349 to sign up for the CPL portal. All results, positive or negative, are reported to the Southern Nevada Health District. If patients test positive for the virus, they will be notified within a few days. Only positive patients will be notified. If patients do not receive notification of a positive test result, they can rest assured knowing that they tested negative. Patients with questions about the virus also can contact their medical provider for guidance or contact the Southern Nevada Health District’s Information Phone Line at (702) 759-INFO (4636), between the hours of 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Officials stress as businesses and facilities begin re-opening in phases, COVID-19 will continue to pose a public health threat without a vaccine. The public is asked to continue to practice good hygiene, social distancing, wearing face coverings in public places, and other measures to limit the spread of COVID-19.
The following guidance is recommended for individuals to help the community continue to fight COVID-19 and stay safe and stay open in the first phase of Nevada’s Roadmap to Recovery:
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched items such as your cell phone, doorknobs and counter tops.
- Maintain at least 6 feet of social distancing per person for non-household members.
- Wear a face covering in public places and when around people from other households.
- Limit gatherings to 10 people or less.
- Continue staying home as much as possible and limit trips outside your home.
- All vulnerable individuals should continue to shelter in place. Those at high risk of exposure to COVID-19 as defined by CDC guidelines include people 65 and older and those with underlying health conditions such as lung disease, heart conditions and severe obesity.
- Members of households with vulnerable residents should be aware that returning to work and other environments where social distancing is not practical could carry the virus back home. Precautions should be taken to isolate vulnerable residents.
- Remember we are in this together and we’ll get through this together. For information about our community’s response to COVID-19 visit www.InItTogetherSNV.com.
