Edward-Elmhurst Health has launched drive-up testing of patients for the COVID-19 virus.
“We have somebody who checks them in, and then we have a group of staff that actually performs the nasal swabs while the patient remains in their car,” explained Michelle Vermeland, an Edward-Elmhurst respiratory specialist.
Set Up an Appointment
People must obtain a physician order from an Edward-Elmhurst physician to get tested, and that too can all be done from the comfort of home. Orders can be obtained through an e-visit, video visit, telephone visit, or telemedicine visit. Then a screening process will be conducted to determine if testing for COVID-19 is necessary.
By using these alternative types of doctor visits and the drive-up testing center people are helping the hospital system save resources.
Helping Save Resources
“It’s saving some valuable resources,” said Vermeland. “A lot of people think that just because you have symptoms of the virus you automatically need to go to the hospital. That’s taking away from a lot of resources that are needed for some of the patients that currently have the virus that are really sick, and we need those resources at the hospital. So that’s able to free up some of the resources, and even some of the doctors offices, that are needed at the hospital.”
It takes five to 10 days before test results for the virus come back, and those who get tested at the drive-up location are told to self-quarantine until then.
“Stay home now [and] stay home if you have symptoms,” she added. “Remember that even if you don’t have symptoms, sometimes it can take up to two weeks before you actually develop symptoms. So […] don’t go visit your friends, just stay home and let this pass. The sooner that we can stop being around other people, we can stop spreading it to other people and we can get rid of it quicker.”
The drive-up testing is open to patients with physician orders indefinitely.
Naperville News 17’s Ryan Skryd reports.
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