On Monday, November 16, 2020 Eaton Rapids Medical Center (ERMC) opened an outpatient, in-vehicle COVID-19, Strep, and Flu Testing Center south of the hospital on the corner of Main Street and Spicerville Highway. The Testing Center is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. It was created in response to a growing community need for COVID-19 testing as Eaton County continues to see a sharp rise in coronavirus cases. The offsite testing also serves to keep individuals with symptoms who don’t need treatment out of the hospital and clinics.
The hospital’s Emergency Department and Redicare teams collaborated to come up with the idea and implementation plan, and the Barry-Eaton District Health Department assisted in funding the project. It is staffed by nurse practitioners and medical assistants.
“By testing those with symptoms at an offsite center, we are reducing exposure to staff and high-risk patients receiving care in the hospital,” stated Candy Parker, ERMC Director of Practice Management.
The Testing Center operates on a first-come, first-served basis and a physician order is not necessary. Those wishing to be swabbed at this location do not need to be symptomatic and they will not need to visit the hospital’s screening area prior to arrival. Patients will simply need to have photo identification and their health insurance card ready to present to staff, then proceed to the entrance on Main Street where they will be swabbed while remaining in their vehicle. Patients presenting for evaluation of symptoms will be billed for a Redicare office visit as well as any treatment or tests performed. Asymptomatic individuals will be billed for specimen collection and test processing.
Free tests are still available in the community by appointment in the Eaton Rapids Rite Aid Pharmacy drive-through. Appointments can be made at riteaid.com.
Eaton Rapids Medical Center would also like to remind the community to take precautions to prevent the spread of illness. Please wear a mask, wash your hands, disinfect high-touch surfaces, practice social distancing, and limit in-person contact with individuals from other households.
