Cody Regional Cuts Extra Hour from Drive-Thru COVID Testing
Written by Andrew-Rossi on January 26, 2021
Cody residents are no longer “stampeding” to the Rodeo Grounds for COVID tests, so Cody Regional is cutting an hour of testing that isn’t needed anymore.
Effective Tuesday, Feb. 2, the hours for the COVID-19 drive-thru testing at the Cody Stampede Rodeo Grounds are being changed: 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays.
The reason behind the change is simple: fewer people and more options. A combination of fewer people utilizing the drive-thru and other local entities offering similar services means the Stampede drive-thru is no longer as crucial for Cody as it once was.
“Due to lower COVID testing volumes we are seeing at our Drive-thru testing, we are slowly working with our team to bring them back to our main campuses for patient care,” says Keith Ungrund, CRH Chief Clinical Officer at Cody Regional Health. “We are thankful Walgreens is now offering drive-thru testing and the state continues to provide free Vault Health tests for residents. This has taken a major burden off of our labor forces.”
Cody Regional Health staff have manned the drive-thru since it was first implemented in October 2020.
The Cody Stampede drive-thru has been an invaluable resource to Cody and Park County Public Health. The move to the rodeo grounds relieved the pressure and COVID traffic at the West Park campus, keeping its staff and patients safer.
At the beginning of 2021, Cody Regional cut testing on Mondays but extended the hours for Tuesday and Thursday tests, running them from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Now – thanks to improving efforts to test for COVID-19 in Park County and the state – that extra hour isn’t necessary.
This is a positive sign – for now.
It follows the most recent trends in Park County when it comes to COVID-19. In his latest Facebook update, Park County Public Health Officer Dr. Aaron Billin says the number of cases and hospitalizations in the county is “significantly down” from where it was in the last months of 2020.
But it isn’t all good news. The Wyoming Department of Health reported another 25 Wyoming residents died due to COVID-19, including two older Park County men.
As of Tuesday. Jan. 26, 596 Wyomingites – and 20 Park County residents – have been lost to COVID-19.
Other than cutting an hour of testing, procedures at the Cody Stampede drive-thru are the same. Anyone who suspects they may have COVID-19 but isn’t displaying respiratory symptoms is asked to visit the drive-thru, rather than the Cody Regional campuses.
Walk-in Respiratory Clinic Hours remain the same at Cody Regional Health’s Cathcart Health Center. Patients with respiratory and viral symptoms are being seen by appointment Monday through Friday from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM and on Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM.
Vault Health continues to offer free COVID tests to all Wyoming residents, courtesy of CARES Act funds allocated by the Wyoming Department of Health. Just visit their website and insert your Wyoming address during checkout to receive a free at-home COVID test.
Please call 307.578.2903 to schedule an appointment with one of the Cody Regional Health providers.
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