COVID-19 testing center opens in Swannanoa

Permanent weekly site to operate until September 

The Valley Echo
June 30, 2020

Residents of eastern Buncombe County can access weekly community-based COVID-19 testing at 2217 U.S. 70 (Ingles parking lot), beginning June 30. 

The permanent site will operate from 10:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. every Tuesday through Sept. 6. The operation will allow early testing for staff of long-term and congregate care facilities, beginning at 9:30 a.m. 

Testing is available for people with and without insurance, and requires no out-of-pocket cost, according to the Buncombe County website. Individuals with health insurance are advised to bring their insurance information to the site when receiving a test. Western North Carolina Community Health Services staff will collect the specimens, which will be tested by a commercial laboratory. Buncombe County Communicable Disease nurses will follow up with individuals who test positive for the virus to provide guidance and perform contact tracing. 

Tests are recommended for anyone showing symptoms of COVID-19 or anyone who is, or has been, in close contact with a person who has tested positive, regardless of obvious symptoms. People who live in or have regular contact with high-risk settings, including long-term care facilities, correctional facilities, homeless shelter or migrant worker camps are also advised to get tested for COVID-19. Workers who are in regular contact with the public and individuals who have attended mass gatherings are also encouraged to undergo testing. 

Those who wish to get tested are asked to use the county’s COVID-19 Self-Checker to asses their need for testing and call (828) 419-0095 prior to arrival.

The county reported a high volume of traffic, with a wait time of up to two hours, on the first day of operation for the community testing site. 

Area health care providers are conducting COVID-19 tests, as well. Mercy Urgent Care in East Asheville, MAHEC Family Health Center in Swannanoa and Range Urgent Care in Black Mountain each require individuals to contact them in advance to schedule an appointment. Some providers offer a sliding scale option for payment. 

There are 585 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Buncombe County as of 3 p.m., June 30, with 16,162 tests administered, according to the county’s online Coronavirus Cases Dashboard. The county has reported 40 deaths from the virus. The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services COVID-19 dashboard shows that nine confirmed cases have come from Black Mountain and 16 confirmed cases from Swannanoa.