St. David's HealthCare’s CareNow® Urgent Care clinics offer COVID-19 diagnostic and antibody testing
Austin, Texas - St. David’s HealthCare’s CareNow® Urgent Care clinics now offer COVID-19 diagnostic and antibody testing to the community.
Diagnostic testing is available for those experiencing coronavirus-like symptoms, such as fever, cough, shortness of breath and headache. An online screening tool first evaluates risk and provides care recommendations based on symptoms and answers to screening questions regarding possible exposure. If recommended for COVID-19 diagnostic testing, patients are encouraged to use Web Check-In® to secure an appointment and wait from the comfort of home.
An antibody test is also available for patients who may have previously been infected with COVID-19 but have since recovered. Antibody tests can assist health departments studying the population exposed to the virus, identify those at-risk who have not been previously infected, or identify people who have been previously infected but had mild or no symptoms. It is unclear if antibodies offer protection from future exposure to COVID-19.
Results for diagnostic and antibody tests are normally available within three to five days. However, with increased demand for testing, this timeline may vary.
In the fight against COVID-19, CareNow locations have implemented additional safety measures to ensure patient safety and stringent infection prevention:
- Visitors: Limit patient companions to only one essential person, if necessary.
- Cleaning: Staff will conduct thorough and regular disinfection of waiting areas, exam rooms and other care areas.
- Screening: All patients and companions will be screened for fever, respiratory symptoms and travel history.
- Social distancing: Extra space is provided between seats in waiting areas, and all patient rooms are private.
- Masking: Masks are required for all patients, visitors and caregivers.
- Web and car check-in: This provides separation between patients upon arrival and promotes social distancing.
- Virtual Care: We offer real-time, fully interactive and secure visits with a provider from a mobile device or computer.
For more information about COVID-19 testing and other CareNow services, visit CareNow's website.
CareNow® Urgent Care
Founded in 1993 in Dallas-Fort Worth, CareNow® has grown to become one of the largest urgent care networks in the country. HCA Healthcare acquired CareNow in 2015 with the intent to extend the model that has made the urgent care network so successful. CareNow clinics are open seven days a week with extended evening hours and convenient Web Check-In®.