CoxHealth and Mercy team up for
mobile testing unit in Monett
April 22, 2020
Sheila Harris
A mobile testing unit for COVID-19 opened April 17 at First United Methodist Church in Monett, the result of a collaboration between CoxHealth and Mercy in Aurora and Cassville.
“The mobile testing unit is intended to be a convenience for local patients, plus a way to facilitate the testing of more individuals, should it become necessary,” Steve Edwards, President and CEO of CoxHealth, said. “However, we do want to add that it will not be open to walk-in patients. In order to be tested, people who suspect they might have the virus must first obtain a referral from a physician. If the physician believes their symptoms warrant a test for COVID-19, they will then be referred to the unit to be tested.”
Symptoms of COVID-19 include a dry cough, shortness of breath, or a fever of 100.4 degrees or greater. People who have been exposed to someone with confirmed COVID-19 are also candidates for prospective testing.
Both Cox and Mercy are offering COVID-19 tests at no charge to patients.
Cox is also offering no-charge telemed visits, a way for physicians to issue referrals without potentially exposing healthcare workers in emergency rooms to the virus. For access, google CoxHealth’s Virtual Visits, then enter the code COVID.
Mercy patients can call their providers or contact them through MyMercy for virtual visits. Those who aren’t currently signed up for the free app can download it to their phones or register at www.mymercy.net.
“Unfortunately, we expect to see more cases of COVID-19 in our area,” said Edwards, “especially if we start opening businesses back up and foregoing social distancing. There’s just not enough immunity built up in the community. Our current social distancing is helping keep the number of cases down, but when we begin gathering again, that will change. We’ll probably see the virus come in waves, possibly over the next 12 to 18 months.”
According to Edwards and Amanda Hedgpeth, Vice President of Operations at CoxHealth, more COVID-19 test kits are available now than were initially.
“When we first began testing,” Edwards said, “we were using a lab which took up to 14 days to get test results back to us. Now we’re sending our tests to different labs, and getting results in one to three days.”
Not only have test results been expedited, but the quantity of available tests has increased, according to Edwards.
“We still need to prioritize who we test, though, based on the severity of symptoms and the vulnerability of the individual,” he reiterated. “Although we have more tests than we did have, there’s still a limited supply. However, we expect the quantity of available test kits to continue to increase in upcoming weeks.”
When asked if the previous shortage of tests might indicate that the actual number of COVID-19 cases is greater than what has been reported, Edwards said he didn’t think so.
“We don’t really think the virus is endemic in the population at this point,” he said. “In part, because we’ve been social-distancing.
According to Hedgpeth, Monett was chosen as the site for the unit, in part because of its central location between the Aurora and Cassville, but also because First United Methodist Church in Monett offered the use of their facilities for the unit.
"There was no great science behind the decision," she said.
Edwards indicated that the mobile unit would remain in place as long as necessary, based on current data and the prevalence of the virus in the area.
Mercy and CoxHealth are also both participating in a program in which the plasma of recovered patients of COVID-19 can be donated to blood banks for use by the FDA, to investigate its possible use for treating patients currently suffering with the virus. Recovered patients must have had a past confirmed test, and have been symptom-free for 14 days. They must be 18 years of age, and not pregnant.
"If a person suspects they may have recovered from an uncomfirmed case of COVID-19, serology tests will soon be available which will test for antibodies," said Edwards. "The presence of antibodies would indicate that they've acquired immunity, and that it's safe for them to be in public and go back to work again."
A mobile testing unit for COVID-19 opened April 17 at First United Methodist Church in Monett, the result of a collaboration between CoxHealth and Mercy in Aurora and Cassville.
“The mobile testing unit is intended to be a convenience for local patients, plus a way to facilitate the testing of more individuals, should it become necessary,” Steve Edwards, President and CEO of CoxHealth, said. “However, we do want to add that it will not be open to walk-in patients. In order to be tested, people who suspect they might have the virus must first obtain a referral from a physician. If the physician believes their symptoms warrant a test for COVID-19, they will then be referred to the unit to be tested.”
Symptoms of COVID-19 include a dry cough, shortness of breath, or a fever of 100.4 degrees or greater. People who have been exposed to someone with confirmed COVID-19 are also candidates for prospective testing.
Both Cox and Mercy are offering COVID-19 tests at no charge to patients.
Cox is also offering no-charge telemed visits, a way for physicians to issue referrals without potentially exposing healthcare workers in emergency rooms to the virus. For access, google CoxHealth’s Virtual Visits, then enter the code COVID.
Mercy patients can call their providers or contact them through MyMercy for virtual visits. Those who aren’t currently signed up for the free app can download it to their phones or register at www.mymercy.net.
“Unfortunately, we expect to see more cases of COVID-19 in our area,” said Edwards, “especially if we start opening businesses back up and foregoing social distancing. There’s just not enough immunity built up in the community. Our current social distancing is helping keep the number of cases down, but when we begin gathering again, that will change. We’ll probably see the virus come in waves, possibly over the next 12 to 18 months.”
According to Edwards and Amanda Hedgpeth, Vice President of Operations at CoxHealth, more COVID-19 test kits are available now than were initially.
“When we first began testing,” Edwards said, “we were using a lab which took up to 14 days to get test results back to us. Now we’re sending our tests to different labs, and getting results in one to three days.”
Not only have test results been expedited, but the quantity of available tests has increased, according to Edwards.
“We still need to prioritize who we test, though, based on the severity of symptoms and the vulnerability of the individual,” he reiterated. “Although we have more tests than we did have, there’s still a limited supply. However, we expect the quantity of available test kits to continue to increase in upcoming weeks.”
When asked if the previous shortage of tests might indicate that the actual number of COVID-19 cases is greater than what has been reported, Edwards said he didn’t think so.
“We don’t really think the virus is endemic in the population at this point,” he said. “In part, because we’ve been social-distancing.
According to Hedgpeth, Monett was chosen as the site for the unit, in part because of its central location between the Aurora and Cassville, but also because First United Methodist Church in Monett offered the use of their facilities for the unit.
"There was no great science behind the decision," she said.
Edwards indicated that the mobile unit would remain in place as long as necessary, based on current data and the prevalence of the virus in the area.
Mercy and CoxHealth are also both participating in a program in which the plasma of recovered patients of COVID-19 can be donated to blood banks for use by the FDA, to investigate its possible use for treating patients currently suffering with the virus. Recovered patients must have had a past confirmed test, and have been symptom-free for 14 days. They must be 18 years of age, and not pregnant.
"If a person suspects they may have recovered from an uncomfirmed case of COVID-19, serology tests will soon be available which will test for antibodies," said Edwards. "The presence of antibodies would indicate that they've acquired immunity, and that it's safe for them to be in public and go back to work again."