Monday, December 20, 2021

The site is located at the W.O. Walker Building and staffed by the Ohio National Guard and Ohio Department of Health 

UPDATE:

The last day of COVID-19 testing at the Walker Cleveland Community COVID-19 Testing Site will be Sunday, January 23rd. The Ohio Department of Health and Ohio National Guard have been working collaboratively with University Hospitals and Cleveland Clinic to operate the site.  
 
COVID-19 cases in our community have been decreasing, and the demand for testing has declined. Therefore, the state and Ohio National Guard will shift its resources to other locations.  The community testing site opened on December 21 and has tested nearly 25,000 people.  
 
While COVID-19 testing supplies are in high demand, over-the-counter rapid testing kits can still be purchased at many locations, such as pharmacies and grocery stores. Testing is also available at many urgent care locations, community health centers, retail locations, and pop-up sites. The ODH website features a searchable map of testing locations that you can see by clicking here.
 
We encourage individuals not to seek testing at Emergency Departments. To best serve our patients in need of emergency services, Greater Cleveland’s hospital systems will limit COVID-19 testing in emergency departments to patients who are going to be admitted to the hospital. 

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ORIGINAL ARTICLE:

University Hospitals and the Cleveland Clinic will support a community COVID-19 testing site staffed by the Ohio National Guard and the Ohio Department of Health.   
  
The on-site, drive-thru testing will be located in the garage of the W. O. Walker Building in University Circle, 10524 Euclid Ave., Cleveland.   
  
The Walker Center Cleveland Community COVID-19 Testing Site will open on Tuesday, Dec. 21. It will initially operate Tuesday through Sunday of this week, but will be closed on Saturday, December 25. The testing site will be open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Additional hours and sites may be announced in the future.
  
Patients do not need an appointment but will need to register prior to coming to the site at: https://mako.exchange/scheduler/select-state/.  

Please select “Ohio” and then search for the Walker Center location. You may choose if you have a primary care provider at Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals or neither. The testing is free, open to everyone and individuals do not need a doctor’s order to obtain a test. The site will offer PCR tests, and individuals will receive their results in approximately 2-3 days. Masks are required except when testing is underway.
  
Northeast Ohio is currently experiencing a surge in COVID-19 infections and increased demand for healthcare services, particularly in our emergency departments. To best serve our patients in need of emergency services, Greater Cleveland’s hospital systems will limit COVID-19 testing in emergency departments to patients who are going to be admitted to the hospital. The change will take place on Tuesday, Dec. 21, at all University Hospitals, Cleveland Clinic, MetroHealth System, and St. Vincent Charity Medical Center locations.   

The Ohio Department of Health, University Hospitals and the Cleveland Clinic ask those in need of testing to utilize the Walker Center Cleveland Community COVID-19 Testing Site. This will allow emergency department personnel to focus on urgent medical emergencies, as the hospital systems continue to treat record numbers of patients for COVID-19.   
 
The Ohio Department of Health is offering free rapid at-home antigen testing kits at many sites across the state of Ohio, including local health departments, public libraries, and community health centers. These self-testing kits may also be available for purchase at local pharmacies and retailers. It is important to know, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines, that a patient who is experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 and receives a positive test result on a home antigen test (self-test kit) does not need a PCR test to confirm a positive COVID-19 diagnosis, and should immediately isolate and work with public health officials for any necessary contact tracing. Using the rapid tests when available will give patients in need of a PCR test faster access to testing.
  
People who are in medical distress are still encouraged to utilize the emergency departments, or call 911.  

Download the video file using this link: https://uhhospitals.transfernow.net/dl/UH_COVID_drive-thru