Huntington, WV – Two drive-through testing centers will soon be available to test West Virginia residents for COVID-19.

Marshall Health, Mountain Health Network and the Cabell-Huntington Health Department will open a drive-through testing center at St. Mary’s Center for Education located at 2853 5th Ave., for individuals with a valid order from a physician to be tested for the 2019 novel coronavirus.

Individuals should bring their physician order, insurance information and a valid ID with them. The drive-through will begin seeing patients at 1 p.m., Thursday, March 19. Beginning Friday, March 20, the drive-through will be open 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday through Friday.

The drive-through testing will be in the parking lot of the CFE. Individuals will remain in their cars to receive a swab test. Physicians, nurses and staff from Marshall Health will be on-site.

“It is our goal to make community-wide testing available in the region, but test kits are still in short supply nationwide,” said Larry D. Dial, M.D., chief medical officer of Marshall Health. “So, we’re working collaboratively to test patients according to the testing criteria outlined by the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources.”

“Partnerships between agencies is what makes our community so strong and able to respond in these challenging times,” said Michael E. Kilkenny, M.D., physician director of the Cabell-Huntington Health Department.

Valley Health Systems, Inc. also announces accessibility to two new services to assess and potentially screen patients for coronavirus COVID-19 infection.

Effective March 20, Valley Health will launch telehealth services to assess patients’ needs for COVID-19 testing. During the telehealth assessment, a member of Valley Health’s medical provider team will evaluate each patient by reviewing symptoms, exposure risk factors, medical history, medications and other relevant information. Based on the evaluation, the provider will give recommendations, which may include testing. 

In addition to the launch of telehealth services for COVID-19 assessments, Valley Health will begin offering drive-thru screening at two locations. Drive-thru screenings will only be available to individuals who have completed a telehealth assessment and have been advised by the telehealth provider to proceed to a drive-thru testing location. All charts will be reviewed before any testing begins to verify provider orders. Tests available at the drive-thru locations include flu, strep and respiratory panel, including COVID-19. Valley Health’s physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants will follow CDC guidelines for Person under Investigation in making determinations for testing Telehealth patients for COVID-19.

These services are available for all community members. This includes individuals who are not currently accessing services through Valley Health, who see healthcare providers at private practices or other entities such as Marshall Health and regional hospitals. As a community health center, we serve all individuals regardless of insurance status or ability to pay.

To schedule a telehealth assessment, patients must call 304-399-3358, a centralized line handled by Valley Health employees, who will register the patient for a telehealth appointment with the next available telehealth provider. During the call, the patient should have all necessary items available for reference, including insurance information, if applicable. Upon completion of registration, patients must then go to the Valley Health telehealth website at www.valleyhealth.org/telehealth and complete the Informed Consent for Telehealth paperwork before an assessment can be completed.

Patients will be able to call and request a telehealth assessment starting Friday, March 20, at 8 a.m.

Access to Valley Health’s drive-thru testing services will begin on these dates and at these locations:

Starting Friday, 3/20: Former Valley Health – Milton, 1 Harbour Way, Milton, WV 25541.

Starting Monday, 3/23: Valley Health – East Huntington, 3377 US-60, Huntington, WV 25705.

Hours of operation for screening and telehealth services will be 8 a.m.-12 p.m. and 1-5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 12-6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
For a complete list of Valley Health’s providers, services and locations, visit valleyhealth.org. Other information, including Valley Health news and patient updates, is available by following Valley Health’s Facebook page at facebook.com/WVvalleyhealth.

SOMC in Portsmouth is also offering drive-through testing for COVID-19. Testing there is available from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 12 to 6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.

You’ll need to contact SOMC’s hotline at (740) 356-CARE prior to going to their testing site, which is located outside of Madonna Hall.