ST. LOUIS — The list of COVID-19 testing centers continues to grow. There are several in the St. Louis area.
This list will be updated as 5 On Your Side continues to receive information about testing centers.
Mercy opened a drive-thru testing center at its virtual care center in Chesterfield.
The site is exclusively for patients who have a fever of at least 100.4 degrees and respiratory symptoms, including cough or shortness of breath. Anyone seeking a test must call Mercy’s COVID-19 Clinical Support Line at 314-251-0500 before arriving.
“We will only provide screening for those who meet these requirements because testing prior to the appearance of symptoms can result in a false negative,” said Dr. Keith Starke, Mercy’s chief quality officer. “It’s critical for our communities that we screen those with the highest risk.”
Patients must call the clinical support line to be screened and – if appropriate – proceed to the test collection site. Nurses wearing protective gear will meet patients at the drive-thru. They'll use a swab to get a nasal specimen. Officials warn that might be slightly uncomfortable. Nurses will give patients instructions from there.
Mercy will then send the sample to a designated lab, the state health department or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Mercy Health is opening three additional COVID-19 test collection sites. They'll be located in south St. Louis County, Washington and Hillsboro.
These testing sites are only for patients who meet the COVID-19 testing guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control and the state health department.
These guidelines include:
- Fever of 100.4 degrees or more
- Cough or shortness of breath
- Recent travel to a high-risk area or contact with a confirmed COVID-19 patient
The testing site in south county will be in the parking lot of the MetLife building at 13045 Tesson Ferry Rd.
The Hillsboro site will be at Hillsboro Community Civic Club Jefferson County Fairgrounds at 10349 Business 21, Hillsboro.
The Washington testing site will be on the Washington Fairgrounds, 6 Fairgrounds Rd. Washington, MO 63090.
Patients must first call Mercy's clinical support line at 314-251-0500 before being screened. They will then be given a time and a testing site location closest to them.
Mercy-GoHealth Urgent Care has established its first COVID-19 testing center.
The testing site will be located at a Mercy-GoHealth Urgent Care location at 6167 Mid Rivers Mall Drive in Cottleville. The testing will follow CDC guidelines and be done curbside to ensure caregivers can safely administer the tests while patients stay in their cars.
Mercy-GoHealth Urgent Care recently launched a video visit platform to evaluate patients and determine if they need to be tested. If someone is evaluated as needing a test, they can be directed to this new location in St. Charles County.
The website for a virtual visit can be reached by clicking here.
BJC HealthCare has opened its first COVID-19 specimen collection center in the Cortex.
The center is available to those who are being referred by BJC providers after screening and those who have been prescreened using CDC guidelines.
BJC is planning to open additional sites in north St. Louis County and the Metro East in the coming weeks.
“The collection center will help better serve our community and reduce potential exposures in hospitals and clinics where patients are being treated for other kinds of medical issues,” said Dr. Clay Dunagan, BJC senior vice president and chief clinical officer.
Memorial Hospital in cooperation with St. Clair County Health Department opened a drive-thru collection site on March 19.
It is located at 4000 N. Illinois Lane in Swansea. The collection site will be operational seven days a week from noon to 6 p.m.
Before going to the collection site, people must contact their primary care physician who will work with the local health departments to prescreen and validate if you need to come to the specimen collection site.
A press release said if you have not completed the prescreening process, please do not come to the specimen collection site. You cannot have a specimen collected without prior evaluation by your physician and authorization from the local health department.
SSM Health opened its first of five COVID-19 testing sites on March 17. The first is in St. Charles County and will test people who are showing symptoms of the virus.
To be tested, patients must first complete a free online evaluation at www.ssmhealth.com/covid19. If they meet the criteria set by the CDC, they will then be sent to an area testing facility where clinicians can collect specimens to be sent to a lab.
Exact locations of the sites will not be released, and testing will only be done on those patients who have been referred by either an SSM Health Virtual Visit or an SSM Health physician.
Anyone who feels sick and has the symptoms of COVID-19 is encouraged to complete a free online evaluation. You do not need to be an existing SSM Health patient.
St. Luke's Hospital in Chesterfield opened a drive-thru coronavirus testing facility on March 25.
The facility is on the parking lot between the Mr. and Mrs. Theodore P. Desloge, Jr. Outpatient Center, Building B and St. Luke’s Resource Center which is directly west across Highway 141 from the hospital’s main campus.
The testing facility will be for patients that have a written order for COVID-19 testing from a St. Luke's Medical Staff provider. Once the patient gets the written order, they can call 314-966-9107 to set up an appointment time. The facility will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Patients can also set up an appointment online through InQuicker at stlukes-stl.com.
"Individuals who utilize the drive-through testing site are advised to follow the instructions given by their healthcare provider and self-quarantine while they await their results," the press release said.
Test results will be available within five to seven business days.
Affinia Healthcare has a COVID-19 testing station in north St. Louis at its 1717 Biddle St. location.
"Screening and testing individuals who are at high risk for COVID-19 is a vital aspect of the fight against further spread and loss of lives" stated Dr. Melissa Tepe, Chief Medical Officer at Affinia Healthcare. "Until now, there were no testing stations available in north St. Louis."
Individuals can call the screening line at 314-833-2777 to determine eligibility and be scheduled for testing. Testing is by appointment only. Officials stress that people should not show up to testing sites without contacting the testing site first.
CareSTL Health will opened a testing site on April 6. It'll be located at 5471 Dr. Martin Luther King Drive. You must call 314-367-5820 for a testing appointment.
Betty Jean Kerr People's Health Centers north county site will become a COVID-19 drive-thru testing site on April 17. It'll be located at 11642 W. Florissant Rd.
Residents who have COVID-19 symptoms should call Betty Jean Kerr People’s Health Centers at 314-627-5405 for a screening and testing appointment.
Residents can call the screening and testing appointment line Monday – Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Testing will be available every Friday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. A picture ID, such as a current driver’s license or state identification card, is required.
“The City of St. Louis Department of Health is honored to partner with Betty Jean Kerr People’s Health Centers in any way we can to help in the fight against the spread of COVID- 19” said Dr. Fredrick Echols, Director of Health for the City of St. Louis. “We are happy to provide additional PPE and counsel to ensure that this program is in compliance with reporting requirements and safety procedures, and will serve the critical need of testing for our community.”
Touchette Regional Hospital, SIHF Healthcare in East St. Louis, Illinois
This location opened on April 16.
According to a press release, the collection process will begin with a telephone call to 618-646-2596 in order to be screened by a SIHF clinician. The screening will involve questions about symptoms, possible exposure, age, work environment and underlying health conditions. If determined to meet the testing requirements as prescribed by IDPH and CDC, the caller would be given a time window to arrive at the collection site that day
Screening phone lines will be open on April 16, and April 17, from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. with collections taken from noon to 3 p.m. Beginning on Monday, April 20, the screening phone lines will be available Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the testing site hours will be Monday through Friday noon to 4 p.m.
All patients are eligible for screening, regardless of their ability to pay. There will be no charge to patients for testing. If the patient has insurance, that information will be gathered during the phone call; however, there will be no cost to the patient. Results should be available in approximately 24 hours.
The drive-thru collection site will be accessed from the 9th Street entrance into the parking lot. Signage, staff and Illinois State Police will assist with directing patients to the appropriate location.
Call 618-646-2596 to access the new East St. Louis COVID-19 testing site at SIHF Healthcare, 100 North 8th Street.
On Tuesday April 21, Affinia Healthcare will begin operating a drive-thru testing station at 8960 Jennings Station Road in Jennings, in collaboration with the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis. Services will be available Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. - noon.
Walgreens, 1201 Camp Jackson Road, Cahokia
Walgreens is opening a testing facility at the store in Cahokia on May 1. Testing will be conducted outside the store and will be overseeing the self-administered tests.
Testing is by appointment only and only for people who meet eligibility by the CDC. You can get more information by visiting Walgreens.com/Covid19Testing.
A testing site will open Tuesday, April 28 in one of the areas in St. Louis County hit hardest by the coronavirus.
The COVID-19 testing site will open at 6 a.m. in Ferguson’s Ward 1 at 800 Chambers Road. The site will be on the parking lot of the former Christian Care Nursing Home.
The new testing site will be open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. The hours will be 6 – 9 a.m.
Anyone wanting to be tested must first be screened over the phone. The number to call is 314-735-0220. The phone number is now active.
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