HARLINGEN — Officials at UTRGV’s medical school announced Monday the university will open a fourth COVID-19 testing location, this one in Harlingen.
The site, located at the Harlingen UTRGV campus, opens today. It will provide testing two days a week between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. but only for people who undergo a telephone screening and have been cleared for an appointment.
The Harlingen testing site is UT Health RGV’s fourth in the Valley. Previously opened UTRGV sites in Brownsville, Mercedes and Edinburg have performed more than 1,700 COVID-19 tests.
All four UTRGV drive-thru sites are available to employees, students and the public, and on-site evaluations will be available by appointment only for people 18 years of age or older who qualify after mandatory telephone screening.
To determine if you qualify for a test, call ahead to the UT Health RGV Patient Communications Center at 1-833–UTRGVMD (1-833-887-4863) to be screened. Those accepted for testing will be given an appointment and a location.
The clinical staff of UT Health RGV —the clinical practice of the UTRGV School of Medicine — will be present to ensure that everyone follows drive-thru testing protocols and to help avoid the spread of COVID-19.
Individuals without insurance can get screened for COVID-19 at no cost. Those who do have insurance will have the cost of the testing billed to their health insurance.
Individuals should arrive at the Harlingen UT Health RGV drive-thru testing site with their identification. Results of the PCR-based tests will be confirmed within 24 to 36 hours for those tested.
Dr. John H. Krouse, dean of the UTRGV School of Medicine and executive vice president for health affairs, said the new Harlingen site would support the ongoing need for local testing.
“ The UTRGV School of Medicine together with UT Health RGV will continue to be on the front lines to bring these services to our Valley community, along with other resources for the public, including over-the-phone evaluations and telemedicine,” Krouse said. “We are grateful to our partners across the Valley and will continue to provide all resources needed to see us through.”
For additional questions about symptoms, prescriptions and UTRGV COVID-19 drive-thru appointment times, call 1-833-UTRGVMD or visit UT Health RGV COVID-19 resource website, which includes an online form for anyone interesting in a phone screening, at: https://uthealthrgv.org/health-care-news/coronavirus/
To determine if you qualify for a test:
– Call ahead at 1-833–UTRGVMD (1-833-887-4863) to be screened.
– Those accepted for testing will be given an appointment and a location.
