‘Testing Blitz’ underway in Community

Christopher Lomahquahu

Gila River Indian News

Gila River Indian Community members who want to get tested for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) can now do so with the Gila River Testing Blitz. During the course of several weeks, the Gila River Health Care has established drive-thru testing locations in all seven districts of the Community.

When individuals arrive at the site, they were asked to stay in their vehicle, while they were checked in by a GRHC staff mem- ber. After the check-in process, they drove to another station to have a nasal swab sample taken for testing. The testing only takes a couple of seconds and requires individuals to be swabbed in both nostrils.

The test was available to individuals, who do not present symptoms of COVID-19, to ensure they are aware of their condition to prevent the spread of the virus to others at home and elsewhere. An estimated time for re- sults to come back, is three to ve business days to receive notication. If a test comes back positive, GRHC will contact that person immediately to inform them on appropriate steps for treatment.

To ensure successful contact with a person with a positive test result, it is important to keep all contact information current to be noti ed as soon as possible. GRHC also recommends individuals, who are tested, to pro- vide an up to date phone number, or receive a letter in the mail in- forming them of their results. If the results come back positive, Community members will need to follow a list of steps to ensure they do not spread the virus to othersinandoutsideofthehome.

Community members, who have questions regarding transportation, should contact (520) 562-3321 ext. 1384, before 2 p.m. the business day before. For more information about testing, contact the GRHC coronavirus hotline at (520) 550-6079.

GRHC encourages individuals to take preventive measures and report any new symptoms resembling those associated with COVID-19.