BetterMed urgent care facility in Richmond area
by James C. Sherlock
This information on Urgent Care Clinic testing in Virginia is a follow-up to yesterday’s information on testing in general. It was developed by web searches in about two hours. It is representative, but not necessarily complete. The Governor can direct his staff to provide compete information updated daily on a virginia.gov webpage if he chooses.
As far as I know, all hospitals in Virginia offer COVID-19 testing through their emergency rooms. I have not checked on stand-alone emergency rooms.
Wherever a patient gets tested he or she should be given a Fact Sheet for Patients that contains information to help understand the risks and benefits of using this test and what FDA Emergency Use Authorization applies.
Richmond
The following Urgent Care Clinics offer COVID-19 testing within the city limits of Richmond, Virginia:
1. BetterMed Urgent Care
Regency Square 1380 N Parham Rd, Richmond, VA 23229 – open for COVID-19 testing only. Curbside. (804) 821-0010
BetterMed has additional testing locations in
- Short Pump, 12214 W. Broad Street Henrico, VA 23233 804-362-8345
- Ashland, 300 North Washington Highway, Ashland, VA 23005 804-537-2905
- Chester, 11380 Iron Creek Rd. Chester VA 23831 804-823-9260
- Fredericksburg, 4901 Plank Rd., Fredericksburg, VA 22407 540-870-6540
NextLab is processing BetterMed results in about a week.
2. Patient First
2205 N Parham Rd, Richmond, VA 23229
Phone: (804) 270-2150
The company website indicates that is the only Patient First clinic currently offering the test. Turnaround time 2-4 days using LabCorp.
- MedExpress Urgent Care
8040 W. Broad St., Richmond, VA 23294
(804) 346-0927. LabCorp process the test in 2-5 days.
There are additional urgent care testing sites in the Richmond suburbs. These lists are updated daily so check the corporate websites.
Hampton Roads and Northern Virginia
Inova indicates that Inova Urgent Care Centers at Dulles South, North Arlington and Tysons are operating as Respiratory Illness Clinics. Each provides vehicle-side appointments that are ordered by a physician and scheduled ahead of time to test individuals for COVID-19. The tests are sent out to commercial labs and take about a week to get results.
In Hampton Roads and Northern Virginia Velocity Urgent Care is offering COVID-19 testing at all of their locations. Velocity Urgent Care is a subsidiary of Sentara. Turnaround time is 2-4 days and LabCorp processes the tests. Velocity operates 14 locations across Eastern and Northern Virginia including facilities in Carrolton, Gloucester, Newport News, Norfolk (2), South Boston, Suffolk (2), Virginia Beach (4), Woodbridge and Williamsburg. The Velocity locations at Virginia Beach Red Mill and Newport News J. Clyde Morris are the only ones to offer drive up testing.
Rest of Virginia
MedExpress offers COVID-19 testing in eleven locations in Virginia with LabCorp test processing:
- Bluefield
- Charlottesville, Seminole Square
- Christiansburg
- Culpeper
- Danville
- Harrisonburg
- Richmond, W. Broad Street
- Salem
- Staunton
- Timberlake, Timberlake Road
- Winchester, Gateway Drive
I didn’t search other areas of Virginia for this report other than the MedExpress information above, but that is easily done.
Across the country
Most urgent care clinics across the country such are using LabCorp, Quest and other commercial labs to process the tests they offer.
An exception is CVS Health. CVS, in cooperation with federal and state officials is offering rapid (Abbott ID NOW 15 minute test) drive through testing sites in Georgia, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Not Virginia.
Governor Northam’s Team
I have no idea why information on COVID-19 testing at urgent care facilities in the entire Commonwealth is not available on a virginia.gov web page. I also have no idea why the Northam administration has not arranged with CVS for rapid testing in Virginia. Unfortunately, neither does the Governor.
