A new appointment-only, drive-thru COVID 19 testing site will open in the parking garage at the Texas Station Hotel & Casino at 8 a.m. on June 23. The testing area is located on the first floor of the resort’s parking garage on the south side of the property at 2101 Texas Star Lane, off Rancho Drive in North Las Vegas.
The Texas Station site is operating in addition to the drive-thru testing site in the UNLV Tropicana parking garage next to the Thomas & Mack Center. Both sites are being operated by Clark County and UMC in partnership with the Nevada National Guard five days a week, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. The sites are open to anyone, whether exhibiting symptoms of the virus or not, including children. There are no out-of-pocket costs to patients. Drive-thru testing is available for people arriving in enclosed vehicles, and both sites offer walk-up testing areas for pedestrians or patients arriving on bicycles or motorcycles. Appointments can be scheduled through UMC’s website at www.umcsn.com. As much as possible patients are asked to self-schedule appointments online. From UMC’s home page, click on the “UMC COVID-19 Testing Center” banner and select the “Public” option from the drop-down menu and chose the proper testing location. Those with no online access or limited access may call UMC at (702) 383-2619 to schedule appointments. Patients are asked to arrive about 15 minutes prior to their appointment time to get checked in and directed to a testing station. While appointments are highly recommended, both sites will attempt to accommodate some patients on a daily basis without appointments, depending on available resources.
Since Clark County and UMC and its partners opened their first drive-thru community-based testing operation, about 34,400 tests have been conducted, including more than 20,500 at the UNLV site and 13,902 at the Orleans. The first drive-thru test operation opened at the Orleans on May 5 and relocated to UNLV on May 27. An additional 11,000 tests have been conducted through County strike team operations with the Southern Nevada Health District and other community partners. The UNLV Tropicana garage has a capacity of about 1,200 to 1,400 tests a day. The Texas Station site will offer 350 tests on opening day and will work to expand its capacity to more than 1,000 tests a day as soon as possible.
The type of testing available at the sites is polymerase chain reaction tests, better known as PCR tests, which show whether someone currently has COVID-19. Upon booking appointments, patients receive information about how to access test results electronically. UMConnect, UMC’s patient portal, offers a MyChart app and website at https://umconnect.umcsn.com/. Results are typically available within 48 hours. All results, positive or negative, are reported to the Health District. If patients test positive for the virus, the Health District will follow up with them to provide further guidance. Patients with questions about the virus also can contact their medical providers for guidance.
Officials are working to offer a variety of COVID-19 testing options to the public, including one and two-day testing events scheduled in various locations throughout Southern Nevada. A calendar of free COVID-19 testing events sponsored by the Southern Nevada Health District is available on the agency’s website at https://www.southernnevadahealthdistrict.org/covid-19-testing-sites. The state of Nevada also is offering a COVID-19 test finding locator tool on its website at www.healthresponse.nv.gov. As businesses and public facilities open in phases in Nevada, officials continue to stress the need for cooperation from the public to prevent the spread of the virus.
Residents with general questions about COVID-19 can call 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. Recommended actions to limit the spread of the virus include:
· Wash your hands often.
· Clean and disinfect frequently touched items such as your cell phone, doorknobs and countertops.
· 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.
· All vulnerable individuals should continue to shelter in place as much as possible. 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 distancing is not practical could carry the virus back home. Precautions should be taken to isolate vulnerable residents.
· If tested positive for COVID-19, an individual must quarantine and stay home for two weeks. Contacts of individuals who test positive for the virus must stay home for two weeks or until a negative test result has been received.
· 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.
