National Jewish Health to Substantially Expand COVID-19 Testing

DENVER, April 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Beginning today, National Jewish Health is offering expanded drive-through COVID-19 testing to the broader Colorado community. Patients who pre-register and have a physician referral will be eligible for drive-through testing at National Jewish Health.

"We take seriously our mission to serve the community. That is why we are so pleased to substantially expand the availability of this test to more people in need," said National Jewish Health President and CEO Michael Salem, MD. "Broad community testing will be a vital tool in understanding the reach of this pandemic as the spread of COVID-19 begins to subside and we look towards the stabilization phase and the gradual reopening of our communities."

For an appointment at the expanded drive-through testing, patients need to have a referral order from their physician (form available here). Once the order form has been received, the National Jewish Health scheduling team will contact the patient and offer a two-hour time period for drive-through testing at the National Jewish Health Harrison Street parking lot between 13^th and 14^th Avenues. Results from the test will be available within 24 hours.

As national recommendations regarding testing change, National Jewish Health will be prepared to expand its testing further. National Jewish Health also can work directly with employers to assist them in getting their workforces tested.

Children and adults suffering suspected COVID-19 symptoms, that would normally prompt a visit to a physician, can get testing and evaluation at the National Jewish Health Acute Respiratory Care Clinics. In addition, a new Respiratory Recovery Clinic is now available for patients who need to be evaluated for the lingering physical and other effects of the disease once they are in recovery. To make an appointment at either the Acute Respiratory Clinics or the Respiratory Recovery Clinics, patients and physicians can call 303.398.1355.

National Jewish Health launched its certified in-house testing in March. Early testing efforts were focused on symptomatic National Jewish Health patients, health care workers, and hospitalized patients at local hospitals and other health care facilities. With an additional high-throughput test, our capacity will be at more than 1,000 per day.

National Jewish Health is the leading respiratory hospital in the nation. Founded 121 years ago as a nonprofit hospital, National Jewish Health today is the only facility in the world dedicated exclusively to groundbreaking medical research and treatment of patients with respiratory, cardiac, immune and related disorders. Patients and families come to National Jewish Health from around the world to receive cutting-edge, comprehensive, coordinated care. To learn more, visit www.njhealth.org.

SOURCE National Jewish Health

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