Beginning April 16 at Southeast Metropolitan Park in Del Valle, CommUnityCare—which is funded by Travis County’s health care district Central Health—will offer drive-up testing on a rotating basis at sites across eastern Travis County from Monday through Friday.
On April 17, CommUnityCare will offer the service at Barbara Jordan Elementary School in Colony Park. The clinic network stated in an April 15 news release that a schedule of testing locations will be released as more sites for drive-up testing are secured.
The drive-up site at CommUnityCare’s Hancock Center clinic, located at 1000 E. 41st St., Ste. 925, Austin, will remain open six days a week, according to CommUnityCare.
Health care professionals at the drive-up sites will initially screen patients for COVID-19 symptoms, such as high fever, coughing and respiratory issues. If patients meet a certain criteria, they are administered a test on-site.
According to CommUnityCare, no appointment, insurance or payment is required for drive-up testing.
CommUnityCare said in its April 15 news release that each site has a limited number of testing kits available daily.
At the same time it is opening drive-up testing sites, CommUnityCare announced plans to reopen some of its clinic sites. The clinic network announced in late March it was temporarily closing seven of its clinics to consolidate services and equipment.
“Temporarily closing some of our smaller clinics was an incredibly difficult decision, but it was the responsible thing to do to conserve personal protective equipment and support a safe environment for our patients and staff,” said Jaeson Fournier, president and CEO of CommUnityCare, in the April 15 news release. “The good news is that through our conservation efforts, consolidated services, and procuring additional PPE through commercial suppliers and community partners, the situation has stabilized, which means we’re able to re-open some clinics.”
CommUnityCare stated April 15 it had reopened its Hornsby Bend Health Center with regular hours. The Del Valle Health Center will open April 20 with modified hours, according to the nonprofit, and additional plans are in place to reopen clinic sites in Manor and the Community First Village in East Austin.
