Boone Hospital Center and MU Health are closing their drive-thru testing sites. Both facilities announced that Friday will be their last day of service.
However, both emphasized that patients will still have other options for testing.
Mary Beck, chief nursing officer at MU Health, explained that the hospital’s decision was due to a decline in demand.
“We're really pleased that the number of requests to have testing done for COVID-19 has declined dramatically over the last many months. In last August, for example, we were doing about 3000 tests per week, and the first week of March, we did less than 700 tests.”
Beck noted that if demand goes up, MU Health is willing and able to re-open their drive-thru testing, but until then testing is still available in other ways.
“If [patients] are concerned that they have symptoms of COVID-19, they can call their primary care provider and get an order and go to a lab at any of our lab sites,” Beck said. “Or they can actually go to our quick care and Hy-Vee or our urgent care center. And of course, if they're feeling like they are suffering severe symptoms, they should go to an emergency department or call 911.”
In addition to MU Health’s other care locations, testing is still available to patients through Boone Health Center's lab draw locations.
Boone Hospital Center Communication Consultant Jessica Park explained in an email that their closure was also linked to a lack of demand but said that the hospital is still committed to providing COVID-19 care.
“Patients can be referred by their primary care provider to receive a test at one of our lab clinics,” Park said. “We have six in Columbia and one in Moberly. As with all of our facilities, the lab clinics require staff and patients to wear masks, maintain physical distance, and practice appropriate hand hygiene.”