Kalispell Regional Healthcare has launched two additional COVID-19 respiratory screening facilities in the valley in an effort to expand opportunities for individuals to be tested throughout the upcoming tourist season.

The new facilities are located in Columbia Falls at 1675 Talbot Road and in West Glacier at the West Glacier Urgent Care Clinic at 120 Going-to-the-Sun Road. The facility in Columbia Falls opened on June 8 and the West Glacier location is expected to become available on June 15. There are now a total of four locations in the greater Flathead Valley area with the other two facilities located in Kalispell at 1287 Burns Way and in Eureka at 304 Osloski Road. There used to be a fifth testing site in Whitefish, but that site is now only providing pre-operative testing for asymptomatic patients scheduled for a procedure at the hospital.

In an email from Mellody Sharpton, spokesperson for Kalispell Regional, she said “the purpose for testing of pre-operative and admitted asymptomatic patients helps us reduce risk to patients and staff by confirming that patients are negative for COVID-19 before undergoing any procedure. It also helps us monitor the current state of the pandemic in our community.”

Kalispell Regional is providing testing for symptomatic patients seen at the screening sites or in the emergency room, asymptomatic skilled nursing facility residents and asymptomatic patients who are either scheduled for a procedure or who are admitted to the hospital. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, symptoms may include fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, new loss of taste or smell, diarrhea and more. Symptoms may appear up to 14 days after exposure to the virus.

According to Sharpton, Kalispell Regional charges $100 for a COVID-19 test. However, most health plans are required to cover COVID-19-related testing and services provided during a medical visit with no cost-sharing (deductibles, copayments, etc.). A patient’s out-of-pocket costs for COVID-19 care are subject to their health insurance benefits.

The hospital’s screening facilities first emerged in March in an effort to “protect the population, patients, staff and visitors from exposure while allowing for the continuity of operations and patient care at hospitals and clinics,” according to a press release from the hospital.

“When we established these respiratory screening facilities, we designed them to scale up or down depending on the demand for services,” said Kalispell Regional Chief Medical Officer Doug Nelson. “While the numbers of patients visiting the facilities has slowed down, we can quickly scale back up should there be an increased need.”

In the press release, Nelson said it is still important for the community to practice precautions for the health and safety of others. He reminded community members that the best way to prevent the spread of illness is through measures such as frequent and thorough hand-washing, wearing masks in public areas and practicing social distancing.

Hours of operation for the four screening facilities are: Kalispell — Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Columbia Falls and Eureka — Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; West Glacier is seven days a week 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Patients can also continue to call the hospital’s 24-hour call center at 406-890-7272 for adults, or 406-890-7273 for children.

More information on COVID-19 testing and Kalispell Regional’s testing procedures can be found on the hospital’s website at www.krh.org

Reporter Kianna Gardner can be reached at 758-4407 or kgardner@dailyinterlake.com