Savvy Riverside County Doctor + Local Officials Have Created TWO Drive-Thru COVID-19 Test Sites. Here's How They Did What Long Beach Hasn't Done. Why Not?

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Savvy Riverside County Doctor + Local Officials Have Created TWO Drive-Thru COVID-19 Test Sites. Here's How They Did What Long Beach Hasn't Done. Why Not?

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(March 20, 2020, 11:30 a.m.) -- The Riverside University Health System has successfully created a system enabling drive-through testing (by appointments) for Riverside County residents for the COVID-19 virus.

At midmorning Friday (March 20), LBREPORT.com spoke with Dr. Frank Flowers, MD, part of the Medical Operations Team that supports the Riverside County Dept. of Public Health. LBREPORT.com was interested in knowing how they arrange for drive-through testing and how their system works.

For on-demand audio of LBREPORT.com's conversation with Dr. Flowers, click here

Dr. Flowers indicated that the system created by the Riverside County team was basically built locally from the ground up. In addition to providing a service to Riverside County residents, the drive-through tests are also efficient, conserving scarce resources. .

In a release,.the Riverside University Health System said Riverside County health officials are encouraging Coachella Valley residents who have symptoms and are concerned they could have coronavirus (COVID-19) to get tested at a driveup facility set up at a church in Indian Wells (eastern Riverside County.). It's for Riverside County residents only (and requires scheduling an appointment, no drive ups.)

And on Saturday (March 21), a second Riverside County location will operate in western Riverside County, set up at Diamond Stadium in Lake Elsinore. Again, this is open to Riverside County residents only (again only with an appointment, no drive-ups.)

[Scroll down for further.]

For several days, LBREPORT.com has sought a direct answer from Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia on exactly what (the "what" of the story) he'd done and with whom he'd spoken (names/the "who" of the story) to arrange drive-through testing Long Beach (L.A. County's largest city.) LBREPORT.com is stubbornly "old school" about pursuing those basic "W's" of a news story.

At yesterday's (March 19) City of LB daily briefing, Mayor Garcia acknowledged the issue, indicated he's very mindful of it (not sloughing it off) but avoided direct answers to our pointed questions. The Mayor indicated basically [rough summary paraphrase] that drive through testing would welcome and the City of LB is doing what the CDC and other government bodies currently require.

[LBREPORT.com presumes management/staff are also pursuing the issue, which the Mayor or management could address at the City's daily briefings.]

As of noon March 20, LBREPORT.com's questions to Mayor Garcia seeking specifics (and now an update) remain pending.

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Support really independent news in Long Beach. No one in LBREPORT.com's ownership, reporting or editorial decision-making has ties to development interests, advocacy groups or other special interests; or is seeking or receiving benefits of City development-related decisions; or holds a City Hall appointive position; or has contributed sums to political campaigns for Long Beach incumbents or challengers. LBREPORT.com isn't part of an out of town corporate cluster and no one its ownership, editorial or publishing decisionmaking has been part of the governing board of any City government body or other entity on whose policies we report. LBREPORT.com is reader and advertiser supported. You can help keep really independent news in LB similar to the way people support NPR and PBS stations. We're not non-profit so it's not tax deductible but $49.95 (less than an annual dollar a week) helps keep us online.

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