Greater Elgin Family Care Center offers COVID-19 testing in Elgin, McHenry, and Sycamore
The Greater Elgin Family Care Center continues to expand services in order to meet the needs of area residents. Recently, the center launched "Virtual Visits," otherwise known as telemedicine, at all of its nine health centers, to facilitate the provision of essential health care services during the COVID-19 pandemic while the patient remains in the comfort of their home.
A new service expansion, which will greatly benefit the communities Greater Elgin Family Care Center serves, is the opening of three COVID-19 testing sites on Tuesday, April 21.
As part of a coordinated effort with the Illinois Department of Public Health, the center is making COVID-19 nasal swab testing available to high-risk and symptomatic Illinoisans. COVID-19 testing will be available for existing health care workers, as well as center patients and non-patients of Greater Elgin Family Care Center who meet the high-risk criteria as defined by IDPH.
Testing will be available at Greater Elgin Family Care Center's Seneca Health Center and Dental Clinic, 450 Dundee Ave. in Elgin, McHenry Community Health Center, 3901 Mercy Drive in McHenry, and Center for Family Health, 165 E. Plank Road in Sycamore.
Each of the three testing sites will be open for COVID-19 swab testing from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Tests are available by appointment only; walk-ins will not be accepted for COVID-19 testing.
High-risk individuals with symptoms can call Greater Elgin Family Care Center at (847) 608-1344 or (815) 363-9900 to verify if they are eligible for testing and to schedule a COVID-19 nasal swab testing appointment at one of the three health centers. A team of Greater Elgin Family Care Center practitioners is already triaging patient calls related to COVID-19 and will inform patients if they meet IDPH's guidelines for COVID-19 testing during their call.
Patients scheduled for a COVID-19 nasal swab test will initially be greeted in their vehicle and, once registered and masked, will be escorted into the Health Center for further registration, nasal swab testing, and checkout processing. Individuals are therefore required to remain in their vehicle until greeted, wear a face mask, and come alone to their testing appointment. Testing is available for both insured and uninsured individuals.
The type of COVID-19 test available at these three Greater Elgin Family Care Center Health Centers is a nasopharyngeal (NP) swab test by LabCorp. The Greater Elgin Family Care Center plans to expand to additional testing modalities when they become available. Patients can expect a result of the NP swab test within 2-4 days.
The standard payment and billing processes apply to COVID-19 testing. Greater Elgin Family Care Center accepts many insurances, including all Medicaid Managed Care Plans in Illinois. For uninsured patients, the cost of the COVID-19 test is included in the office fee for the medical visit and is subject to Greater Elgin Family Care Center's Sliding Fee Discount Program, as applicable. Regarding GEFCC's standard Sliding Fee Scale, visit gefcc.org/patients/fees-paying-for-your-visit/.
For insured patients, GEFCCC will bill your insurance carrier for the cost of the medical visit; the cost of the COVID-19 test will be billed to your insurance carrier by LabCorp.
Greater Elgin Family Care Center remains committed to the health and safety of its staff, patients and communities it serves. The provision of COVID-19 testing and Virtual Visits are just two examples of the many important oral health, behavioral health and primary health care services Greater Elgin Family Care Center provides.
Greater Elgin Family Care Center is the area's premier Federally Qualified Health Center, providing the full range of quality, affordably priced, fully integrated primary care services to over 53,500 area residents by more than 175,000 medical, behavioral health and dental appointments annually.
Operating nine community health centers in 5 northeastern Illinois counties, the organization is accredited by The Joint Commission, Primary Care Medical Home certified, repeatedly nationally recognized for both its health outcomes and cost efficiency, and provides care regardless of the patient's ability to pay.
Visit www.gefcc.org for more information.