Sites across state offer screenings for covid-19
Numerous sites around Arkansas offer covid-19 screening and testing.
People who think they may have the disease should first call their health care providers, Arkansas health officials say.
Symptoms include fever, cough and shortness of breath. A health care provider will decide if a test is appropriate based on the symptoms and possible exposure to the coronavirus.
TESTING SITES
Natural State Laboratories in Little Rock, in collaboration with Sniffle Health, a telemedicine company, offers testing at various locations around the state. More information is available at ar-covid19.com.
ARKANSAS CHILDREN’S
Arkansas Children’s hospital offers phone screenings for children at (800) 743-3616. (archildrens.org).
BAPTIST HEALTH
Baptist Health has viral and antibody testing available at all of its urgent-care clinics, which are in Benton, Bryant, Cabot, Fort Smith, Jacksonville, Little Rock and North Little Rock.
The viral test, also called a polymerase chain reaction test, determines whether someone has the virus. Those tests involve a nasal swab and are limited to patients who have symptoms; have had contact with someone suspected of having the disease; or are at high risk of developing complications because of chronic health conditions such as diabetes or a respiratory illness.
The antibody test involves a blood sample and can indicate whether someone previously had the coronavirus.
According to its website (baptist-health.com/coronavirus/), Baptist Health’s screening and testing locations also include:
■ A triage station in the Medical Towers II parking deck at Baptist Health Medical Center in Little Rock. Patients are billed for an emergency room visit.
■ A tent near the Ouachita Valley Family Clinic in Camden.
■ Drive-thru clinics at Baptist Health Family Clinic-Caddo Valley in Arkadelphia and Baptist Health-Hot Spring County in Malvern. People should call ahead to schedule appointments: (870) 245-2198 for the Arkadelphia location and (501) 413-9106 for Malvern.
More information on the testing is available at Baptist Health’s 24-hour hot line at (888) 227-8478.
CHI ST. VINCENT
CHI St. Vincent (chistvincent.com/patients-visitors/coronavirus) conducts screening and testing at CHI St. Vincent Little Rock Diagnostic Clinic, CHI St. Vincent Convenient CareHot Springs and CHI St. Vincent Convenient CareHot Springs Village.
COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS
Arkansas’ 12 community health centers offer screenings and testing at 61 locations around the state. Information on where to go is available from a hot line at (833) 508-0774 or at chc-ar.org/coronavirus-testing-sites.
CONWAY
Conway Regional Medical Center performs screenings. (conwayregional.org/patients-visitors/covid-19-info).
HEALTHCARE EXPRESS
HealthCARE Express offers tests by appointment only at clinics in De Queen, Sherwood and Maumelle. Patients can make appointments by calling (877) 4423669.
JONESBORO
St. Bernards Health Care in Jonesboro offers drive-thru testing and screening near the Arkansas State University campus. Patients should call first for a free screening at (870) 336-5651 or (870) 336-5671.
NORTHWEST SITES
Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas in Rogers has an “evaluation site.” Patients must first call (479) 717-7585 to be screened. (mercy. net/practice/mercy-hospital-northwest-arkansas/).
Northwest Health System has testing sites at Northwest Medical Plaza-Bentonville, 601 S.W. Regional Airport Blvd., and Northwest Medical Plaza-Eastside, 2158 Butterfield Coach Road, Suite 100, Springdale. (479) 306-7507.
Washington Regional Eureka Springs Family Clinic performs screening. (wregional.com/main/coronavirus).
Washington Regional Medical Center has a screening clinic at 3318 N. Hills Blvd. in Fayetteville. The hospital’s screening hot line is (479) 463-2055.
PINE BLUFF
Jefferson Regional Medical Center in Pine Bluff performs screenings. (jrmc. org/covid19/).
SOUTHWEST SITES
The following locations offer screening and testing:
■ Medical Center of South Arkansas in El Dorado, (870) 863-2000.
■ South Arkansas Medical Associates in El Dorado, (870) 862-2400.
■ Little River Memorial Hospital in Ashdown, (870) 898-5011.
UAMS
The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences offers free online screenings on its website, uamshealth. com/healthnow, and over the phone at (800) 632-4502.
UAMS Medical Center has a drive-thru clinic on the ground floor of a parking garage at Shuffield and Jack Stephens drives in Little Rock.
The hospital also will hold a drive-thru screening and testing clinic from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 23 at Saint Mark Baptist Church at 5722 W. 12th St. in Little Rock. The church, city of Little Rock, Arkansas Children’s hospital, the Arkansas Minority Health Commission, the Mexican consulate in Little Rock and the National Urban League of Arkansas also are participating.
The event is for people with symptoms such as cough, fever or shortness of breath. UAMS physicians will determine whether the patient meets the criteria for testing. Patients will not have to pay out of pocket for the screening or testing.
WALMART
Walmart and Quest Diagnostics have testing sites in the parking lot of the retailer’s home office in Bentonville, at Fort Smith Park and at the Walmart on South Shackleford Road in Little Rock. Patients must first use the website, myquestcovidtest.com, to be screened and to schedule an appointment.
Walmart and eTrueNorth also have a testing site at a store parking lot in West Memphis and sites that will open in the parking lots of stores in Hot Springs, Texarkana and Jonesboro today.
People who want to be tested must first visit DoINeedaCOVID19test.com to be screened and to make their appointments if they are determined to be eligible.