**PLEASE BE ADVISED**
The last day of operation for the community-based drive-up collection site, located at the Killingly Intermediate School, 1599 Upper Maple Street in Dayville, was Thursday, July 2. After that patients should get their tests done at other locations in the community that offer that service. Learn more >

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Day Kimball Medical Group (DKMG), the physician practices of Day Kimball Healthcare (DKH), has announced that it will open a drive-up collection site for COVID-19 testing beginning on Thursday, April 16.

The community-based drive-up collection site will be located at the Killingly Intermediate School located at 1599 Upper Maple Street in Dayville, Connecticut. The collection site will be open from 2:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Weekend hours will be determined over time to best serve the needs of the community.

“At a challenging time like this, it is more important than ever for health care institutions to come together and mobilize every resource possible to help their communities,” said John Graham, Chief Medical Officer and Vice President of Quality and Medical Affairs, Day Kimball Healthcare. “It is our hope that establishing this collection site for COVID-19 testing in the region will enable more people to access the care they need close to home.”

Only patients who have been evaluated by a health care provider for COVID-19 symptoms and who have a valid prescription order from their physician may be tested at the drive-up collection site. On demand or walk-up testing is not available at this location.

To obtain a test order, patients with COVID-19 symptoms such as cough, fever, and shortness of breath should contact their health care provider to be evaluated for their symptoms. Once the individual is determined to be a candidate for testing, the clinician will submit a physician order for the COVID-19 test. Physician orders will be processed immediately upon receipt, and the patient will be contacted directly by DKMG and set up with the first available collection appointment.

“Community-based collection sites are meant to decompress hospital emergency departments and physicians’ offices, preserve personal protective equipment, and centralize testing options,” said Gerald Sullivan, MD, family medicine physician, Day Kimball Medical Group. “The drive-up collection site will minimize unnecessary visits into clinical offices, waiting rooms, and hospital emergency departments, mitigating the potential spread of COVID-19.

At the drive-up location, on-site signage will direct patients to the secure drive-up collection area.Patients will stay in their vehicles where a health care worker will verbally verify the patient’s identity and then perform the swab. If there is more than one person in the vehicle, each person will need a valid prescription order to be tested.

“The entire sampling, collection and storage process will take place outside of the school building. The collected specimens will be stored in a cooler outside and will then be transported to Day Kimball’s laboratory on a daily basis. No potentially contaminated personal protective equipment, materials, or specimens will be brought inside the school to ensure the building is protected,” Sullivan confirmed.

Those who have been directed to the drive-thru location should be aware of the following:

• Patients who do not have a provider’s order will not be tested.
• Patients will need to bring with them a valid photo ID to the collection site.
• Patients will drive through a secured, marked area and will remain in their vehicles throughout the entire collection process.
• No outdoor restrooms will available at the collection location.
• The sample is collected via a nasal swab; the process typically takes less than 30 seconds.
• The sample will be tested for the novel coronavirus.
• Individuals will be contacted directly with their results within 2-3 days depending on regional test volume. As volumes increase, wait times for results may be longer.
• No medical screening or on-site medical evaluation will be performed.
• While waiting for their test results, individuals should stay at home. Those who receive positive COVID-19 test results may be issued additional care orders or self-isolation orders.

“At DKH, we continue to take steps to protect our patients, their families, and our caregivers from the risk of exposure to infectious disease,” Graham said. “The drive-up collection site is one of several steps we have taken to keep our community safe and mitigate the potential spread of the virus.”

For the latest information, refer to the CDC website www.cdc.gov, and the CT DPH website www.ct.gov/coronavirus. Local measures to contain the spread of the virus are available at Day Kimball Healthcare’s website www.daykimball.org/coronavirus. Updates can also be viewed at Day Kimball Healthcare’s Facebook and Instagram channels.