“UC Health has been committed to serving our community throughout this pandemic, and we are proud to partner with the Ohio National Guard to meet this urgent need during the present surge of COVID-19 infections,” said Dustin J. Calhoun, MD, medical director of emergency management for UC Health and associate professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.
The UC Health COVID-19 Community Testing Center is accepting appointments beginning on Tuesday, Jan. 11. It is operated and staffed by UC Health clinicians and employees, with support from 10 members of the Ohio National Guard.
Appointments are required. Tests may be scheduled via My UC Health, or by calling 513-41VIRUS (513-418-4787) weekdays between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Tests are available for individuals age 2 and older.
The UC Health COVID-19 Community Testing Center is located at the former UC Health MRI Center, 321 Albert Sabin Way, Cincinnati, OH 45229.
Registration will occur at the MRI building, and drivers will be directed to a nearby parking garage to receive a nasal swab.
The PCR tests will be processed by the UC Health Precision Medicine Laboratory located at UC Medical Center, and results will be available within 48-72 hours. Results will be provided via My UC Health (MyChart). Individuals with a positive test result will receive a phone call if they have not accessed the test result via My UC Health.
There is no out-of-pocket cost, but patients are asked to bring a valid insurance card. You do not need to be an Ohio resident to schedule a test.
Hours of operation will be limited (11 a.m. to 3 p.m.) today and tomorrow. After that, the testing center hours of operation will be 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends.
UC Health employees and patients who already have an order from a UC Health provider to receive a COVID-19 test at one of UC Health’s in-office testing clinics should not utilize the drive-thru testing center, which will be open on a temporary basis only.
UC Health has supported Greater Cincinnati’s response to COVID-19 throughout the pandemic, including by operating a drive-thru vaccination center that distributed more than 100,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine in 2021. UC Health continues to offer COVID-19 vaccinations, including booster doses, to members of the public in a clinical setting.
“Expanded access to COVID-19 testing is one way to address the present surge in COVID-19 within our community, but obtaining vaccination against COVID-19 is the best way to bring this pandemic to an end,” Calhoun said. “We continue to urge members of the public to take precautions against the spread of COVID-19 by becoming fully vaccinated and wearing a mask in public settings.”