Patient being tested at the Cape Cod Healthcare drive-thru facility at Cape Cod Community College
HYANNIS – Cape Cod Healthcare, in partnership with Barnstable County Department of Health and Environment, is now providing drive-through COVID-19 testing to patients with a doctor’s order at Cape Cod Community College.
The testing facility is set up in a parking lot section of the college campus.
Patients are asked to not leave their vehicle at any time during the testing. Upon arriving patients will be greeted by a security officer or police officer and a person in a hazmat suit.
Patients will then be asked for identification and appointment time.
“Patients have to have a doctor’s order and an appointment to come here. If you do not have a doctor’s order and a scheduled appointment you will be turned away, no exceptions,” said Cape Cod Health Care Senior Vice President of Communications and Business Development, Patrick Kane.
Once verified by officials, patients will move their vehicles to two testing lanes that will be represented by orange safety cones.
At the front of the line are two blue tents, described as those that one would see at a football tailgate. Nurses will be stationed under those tents ready to test incoming patients.
There is also a yellow tent set up that holds clinical supplies and an overhead that was provided by the college to provide shelter for medical professionals.
When a patient makes it to the front of the line, a nurse in a hazmat suit will approach the car and take a nose swab that will immediately be placed inside a hazmat bag.
That bag will then be re-bagged and put into a refrigerator where it will be frozen.
Once frozen the sample will be shipped out to a lab such as the one run by the Department of Public Health, or a private lab that has agreed to work with Cape Cod Healthcare.
As patients leave, they will be given a four page set of instructions that will tell them to self-quarantine for several days.
Once the test result comes back, patients will be notified if they tested positive or negative for Coronavirus.
If a patient tests positive they will also be informed if a follow up appointment with a doctor is needed.
On site the drive-thru testing facility also houses two command centers.
One command center is for police and security officers and facilities personnel from Cape Cod Healthcare.
The other command center is an operation center for clinical people like nurses and healthcare professionals.
Kane estimates that each test should take about five minutes.
He also added that the drive thru facility will only be limited by the availability of kits that they have.
He said that there is a supply shortage throughout the state and that Cape Cod Healthcare is addressing the situation the best they can.
If kits run out, the facility will continue to do swabs and try their best while they attempt to get more supplies.
It was also noted that those deemed to be at a greater risk to the virus by a physician will be tested first, such as people who have recently traveled and people with underlying medical conditions.
Kane continued to stress that no matter the situation, only those with a doctor’s order and a scheduled appointment will be allowed into the drive-thru facility.
“The message here is no doctor’s order, no appointment, you won’t be swabbed here, no exceptions,” said Kane.
The facility will test eligible patients seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
For more information regarding the Cape Cod Healthcare drive thru testing facility, visit Capecodhealthcare.org.
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