The Providence Seward Medical and Care Center will be providing drive-thru COVID-19 testing Tuesday, but only for those who already have a referral.
Providence is partnering with the Seward Community Health Center and the Alaska SeaLife Center to provide testing from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the hospital parking lot on 417 First Avenue in Seward, according to a March 30 press release from the hospital.
Cristan McLain, director of quality control and infection prevention for Providence, said Monday that the hospital is providing this drive-thru testing to assist other local providers who are not in the hospital’s network with their testing needs.
People who are eligible to be tested for COVID-19 can preregister by calling 907-224-5205. McLain said that preregistering is not required, but it is meant to save people some time in the testing process. Tests will only be administered to people who have received a referral from their health care provider.
PSMCC and Seward Community Health Center will administer the tests, according to the press release. The Alaska SeaLife Center donated testing supplies, including the nasal swabs used to collect samples and the universal transport mediums (UTM), which are used to transport the samples to the labs, McLain said.
