Cody Regional Health Makes Changes to Drive-thru Testing
Written by Andrew-Rossi on December 16, 2020
Drive-thru testing will continue into 2021, but the demand for tests and medical staff is necessitating a change in the process.
Drive-thru testing at the Cody Stampede Rodeo grounds has been an immense asset to the community, and one that several residents have used to get tested for the virus on short notice. Now, some changes have been made as cases and hospitalizations increase here and elsewhere.
On Monday, Dec. 14, Cody Regional stopped offering rapid tests to the public as the demand exceeded the supply. Before, rapid tests were available to the first several people who pulled up.
Jeanine Brus, Laboratory Director for CRH, says “We have stopped receiving our supply of rapid tests from the state and need to reserve what we have left for our front-line staff and surgical patients.”
Now, all tests will be run through the hospital’s Curative Lab. This means results will be processed and sent to people via email anywhere from 48 to 72 hours.
Testing moved to the Cody Stampede Rodeo Grounds in October as the number of cases increased and a larger testing venue was needed. The rodeo will continue to serve as the testing location for the discernible future in 2021, but there will be some changes.
“We are doing our best to keep drive-thru testing available, however, in order to continue offering the best possible care we can at our campus locations, we need to cut our hours back so we do not deplete our team,” stated Keith Ungrund, Chief Clinical Officer at CRH.
There are multiple holiday closures soon. Drive-thru testing will not occur on Thursday, Dec. 24 or Thursday, Dec. 31.
Once 2021 begins, Cody Regional will no longer be offering drive-thru testing on Mondays. The good news is that testing will continue Tuesdays and Thursdays and the hours have been “extended” from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.
These hours are contingent, as they always have been, on the number of tests available.
But there is still another option: the at-home COVID tests available to Wyomingites thru Vault Health.
Governor Mark Gordon announced that a portion of Wyoming’s CARES Act funding had been used to offer at-home saliva tests to Wyoming residents entirely free of charge. Each test is normally $150, but now they can be requested for free simply by entering your zip code when you order one.
The saliva is collected during a supervised, online telehealth visit with a Vault test supervisor, which requires an internet connection. Results are reported within 48 hours of when your sample arrives at the lab.
Otherwise, it’s COVID business-as-usual for Cody Regional Health. They continue to strongly support the mask mandate in Park County and encourage everyone to continue wearing masks and social distancing for the protection of themselves and the community.
Patients experiencing COVID-19 symptoms including shortness of breath, chest pain, palpitations, or other more serious symptoms should go to their closest ER or call 9-1-1.
