Primary Care

New Partnership to Help Expand By-Appointment, Drive-Thru COVID-19 Testing Capacity at Orleans

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Clark County and University Medical Center announced that a new partnership with Clinical Pathology Laboratories (CPL) will allow the appointment-only, drive-thru testing program at the Orleans Hotel & Casino to offer 1,000 tests per day starting Wednesday. The testing is free for anyone who doesn’t have insurance and is open to anyone, whether exhibiting symptoms of the virus or not.

Anyone wanting to schedule a test can make an appointment by visiting the COVID-19 Testing Center on the home page of UMC’s website at www.umcsn.com. Select the “public” option to arrive at the online testing registration form. After filling out the form and clicking “submit,” a representative from UMC will call people back to book their appointments. Appointments also can be made by calling CPL at (702) 795-4932, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

“UMC and our community partners have done an incredible job launching this drive-thru testing operation and working to expand its capacity to schedule and test more people every day,” said Clark County Commission Vice Chairman Lawrence Weekly, Chairman of the UMC Board of Trustees. ““The ability to offer community-wide testing for those with and without COVID-19 symptoms is the key to keeping our community safe as we move forward with opening our economy.”

Appointments are available seven days a week, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. The tests occur on the first-floor of the parking garage located on the west side of the Orleans property off Cameron Street. The Orleans address is 4500 W. Tropicana Ave. Since the drive-thru operation opened April 5, more than 3,300 people have been tested. The site’s initial capacity was 300 tests a day, and it expanded to 900 a day as of Friday. The Nevada National Guard also is a partner in the effort.

“The drive-thru site at the Orleans is an important model for our community because it is the first to offer testing regardless of whether or not residents have symptoms,” said Clark County Commissioner Michael Naft, whose Commission District includes the Orleans. “We will continue to work on expanding our testing capacity throughout Clark County. The data gathered by widespread testing will be critical in our efforts to open our economy safety as we move forward.”

The type of testing available at the site is polymerase chain reaction tests, better known as PCR tests, which show whether someone currently has COVID-19. Federal funding through the CARES Act will cover the costs for testing at the Orleans for those with no insurance.  Patients who have insurance will be asked to provide it for billing purposes, and depending on their insurance may not have a co-pay. Patients are asked to arrive about 15 minutes prior to their appointment time to get checked in and directed to a drive-up testing station. Medical professionals will conduct the test as patients remain in their cars.

After scheduling an appointment with UMC, patients will receive information about how to access test results through UMConnect, UMC’s electronic medical record, through the MyChart app and website at https://umconnect.umcsn.com/. Results are typically available within 48 hours. Patients who register for testing with Clinical Pathology Laboratories (CPL) can access to their COVID-19 test results by visiting www.cpllabs.com/sonicmyaccess or texting “CPL” to 66349 to sign up for the CPL portal. All results, positive or negative, are reported to the Southern Nevada Health District. If patients test positive for the virus, the Southern Nevada Health District will follow up with them. Patients with questions about the virus also can contact their medical provider for guidance or contact the Southern Nevada Health District’s Information Phone Line at (702) 759-INFO (4636), between the hours of 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.

Officials stress as businesses and facilities begin re-opening in phases, COVID-19 will continue to pose a public health threat without a vaccine. The public is asked to continue to practice good hygiene, social distancing, wearing face coverings in public places, and other measures to limit the spread of COVID-19.

The following guidance is recommended for individuals to help the community continue to fight COVID-19 and stay safe and stay open in the first phase of Nevada’s Roadmap to Recovery:

  • Wash your hands often.
  • Clean and disinfect frequently touched items such as your cell phone, door knobs and counter tops.
  • Maintain at least 6 feet of social distancing per person for non-household members.
  • Wear a face covering in public places and when around people from other households.
  • Limit gatherings to 10 people or less.
  • Continue staying home as much as possible and limit trips outside your home.
  • All vulnerable individuals should continue to shelter in place. Those at high risk of exposure to COVID-19 as defined by CDC guidelines include people 65 and older and those with underlying health conditions such as lung disease, heart conditions and severe obesity.
  • Members of households with vulnerable residents should be aware that returning to work and other environments where distancing is not practical could carry the virus back home. Precautions should be taken to isolate vulnerable residents.
  • If tested positive for COVID-19, an individual must quarantine and stay home for two weeks. Contacts of individuals who test positive for the virus must stay home for two weeks or until a negative test result has been received.
  • Avoid non-essential travel and adhere to self-quarantine and monitor health for 14 days after arriving or returning to Nevada.
  • Remember we are in this together and we’ll get through this together. For information about our community’s response to COVID-19 visit www.InItTogetherSNV.com.