Hendrick offers COVID-19 Testing and Quarantine Update

To better serve the most vulnerable in our community and ensure their access to the appropriate care, Hendrick Health is offering the following testing guidance to our service area.

COVID-19 TESTING

• Hendrick Health is experiencing an increase in number of COVID-19 positive patients. If you’ve been exposed to COVID-19 and have no symptoms or have mild symptoms, complete an online screening by texting “covidhelp” to 325-216-4824 or visit here. Please help us reserve our emergency rooms for those in need of higher levels of care. If you have shortness of breath or other severe, life-threatening symptoms, call 911 or visit the nearest emergency room immediately. COVID-19 symptoms include: fever or chills; cough; fatigue, muscle or body aches; headache; new loss of taste or smell; sore throat, congestion or runny nose; and/or nausea, vomiting or diarrhea.

HOME TESTS FOR COVID-19

• Positive Test – Due to a nationwide testing shortage at the hospital level, Hendrick Health will no longer offer outpatient testing to confirm a COVID-positive at-home test. If you have tested positive with an at-home test kit, we recommend that you assume you are COVID-19 positive, monitor your symptoms and follow the CDC’s recommended quarantining guidelines.

• Negative Test – If you previously tested negative for COVID-19 using an at-home kit, but are now experiencing symptoms, please complete an online screening by texting “covidhelp” to 325-216-4824 or visit here.

• Insurance – Beginning Saturday, January 15, 2022, private health insurers will be required to cover up to eight home COVID-19 tests per month for individuals on their insurance plans.

RETURN-TO-WORK TESTING

• The CDC no longer recommends a negative COVID-19 test to return to work because traces of the virus may still trigger a positive result even when an individual is no longer contagious. Accordingly, the CDC’s quarantine guidelines provide the recommended isolation periods for individuals following a positive COVID-19 test and/or those experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.

• Therefore, beginning January 13, 2022, Hendrick Health will no longer be testing individuals who are simply seeking a ‘negative result’ so they may return to work. These individuals should follow the CDC’s quarantine guidelines and return to work when they are no longer contagious.