Updated: Friday, 7:14 p.m.
South Central Kansas Medical Center will be performing nasal swab COVID-19 testing open to the public from 10 a.m. til 2 p.m. on Monday, May 4, and Tuesday, May 5, outside the main entrance of the facility north of Ark City on U.S. 77, according to a news release from the hospital Friday.
Patients will remain in their vehicles while hospital staff register information, screen the patient, and perform the test.
Testing will be $25 and will be collected before the test is performed.
During a Coronavirus Task Force press briefing on March 14, President Donald Trump said tests for the virus would be free for all Americans, citing an $8.3 billion emergency coronavirus spending package bill passed by Congress he signed on March 6.
When asked about the costs of the tests later Friday afternoon, Hospital CEO Jeff Bowman told KSOK-NewsCow the free tests available to the county ran out quickly, and that the hospital is using a private lab until more free tests from the federal government are issued.
“It’s my understanding that the free testing was distributed across the nation to different health departments,” Hospital CEO Jeff Bowman told KSOK-NewsCow later Friday afternoon. “However, our hospital uses Quest Labs out of Wichita that we have to pay for.”
Every person that has a test done will have to isolate themselves until the results of the test come back. The test will tell patients if they have COVID-19 at the time of testing.
The test will not prevent patients from contracting the illness later.
“We are very pleased that expanded testing is finally able to occur in our County,” Cowley County Public Health Officer Thomas Langer said in the news release, “It has been needed since we began the battle against COVID-19. If you are experiencing symptoms of this illness and would like to be tested to verify if you have it your opportunity has arrived.
“I am grateful that the hospital has agreed to help with this task.”
In the press release, Bowman thanked the City-Cowley County Health Department for their efforts to expand testing capabilities in the county.
“As the state starts to open back up, we want to be absolutely sure that we are doing everything that we can to ensure the health and safety of our population,” Bowman stated.
As of Thursday morning, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported 4,449 positive cases of COVID-19 across the state, including 534 hospitalizations, 130 deaths and 28,585 negative tests.
So far, three positive cases of coronavirus and one death have been confirmed by the City-Cowley County Health Department. The most recent case was confirmed April 27.
As of Thursday, the City-Cowley County Health Department said it has tested 213 people.
Sedgewick County to the north has 384 cases as of Thursday morning. Kay County, south of the Kansas/Oklahoma border, has confirmed 47 cases and seven deaths.
Kay County saw an influx in testing on March 24 when a one-day drive-thru testing clinic took place in Ponca City. Overall, the state of Oklahoma has confirmed 3,748 cases and 230 deaths.
If you have questions related to this drive-thru testing, please contact the hospital at (620)441-5921.
