MISSOULA — The Missoula City-County Health Department (MCCHD) is now offering rapid COVID-19 testing at its clinic on Flynn Lane.
MCCHD is one of many public health departments across Montana to receive an Abbott ID NOW machine from the state to expedite processing COVID-19 lab results and patient notification of those results.
Abbott ID NOW increases MCCHD’s testing capacity, which helps inform the County’s ongoing COVID-19 response.
“With more tests being processed more quickly, everything else speeds up, too,” said Incident Commander Cindy Farr. “This ultimately means that we’ll be able to identify and notify patients of their results more quickly, begin contact tracing sooner, and initiate quarantine and isolation earlier."
"We’ll also have more comprehensive information about COVID in Missoula County more quickly, which helps us continue to coordinate a safe, data-informed response effort," Farr added.
The County continues offering testing services to Missoula County residents currently experiencing COVID-compatible symptoms and their health department notified close contacts. Rapid testing is available for residents or close contacts currently experiencing symptoms, while standard PCR testing remains available for close contacts not currently experiencing symptoms.
Testing at the Flynn Lane facility is by appointment only. If you meet the above criteria, call (406) 258-INFO to connect with a public health nurse weekdays between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.