BAKERSVILLE – Mountain Community Health Partnership, or MCHP, is offering drive-through COVID-19 testing from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesday, June 9, at Bakersville Community Health Center, 86 N. Mitchell Ave. in Bakersville. MCHP will determine the need for additional dates and announce them later.
Anyone can take advantage of this event; you do not need to have symptoms. This testing can determine active COVID-19 infections. It does not indicate if you have previously been exposed or infected. You can take advantage of this testing even if you have no symptoms, such as cough or fever.
“Our goal is to continue to provide excellent health care services to anyone in need,” said LaCosta Tipton, MCHP nurse manager. “Since March, we have provided daily testing services for COVID-19 at our Bakersville and Celo locations. Our drive-through testing sites are meant to help make services easily accessible.”
Most insurances cover COVID-19 testing, with no cost to the patient. (Please check with your insurance carrier for more information.) MCHP staff asks that you bring your insurance card and have it available when you drive through. Testing is free for uninsured patients. MCHP wants to ensure that everyone that wants a test can have one.
“As a community healthcare provider, one of the things that we can do to help keep our communities safe is to provide testing for the COVID-19 virus,” said Tim Evans, MCHP director of grants and business development. “By increasing our knowledge of the prevalence and spread of the virus in our community, we all gain important information that can help us make better-informed decisions about how we go about our daily lives in this unprecedented time.” When you arrive for testing, please follow posted signs and guidance from staff members.
The best way to protect yourself is by following the three Ws. When you are away from home, wear a cloth face covering, wait at least six feet apart, and wash your hands often or use hand sanitizer.