Submitted by Providence
As we are continuing to see a decline in the number of community members seeking COVID-19 testing and the availability of additional testing sites across our community, Providence and Thurston County Health & Social Services have made the decision to close the drive through testing site located at Providence Medical Group – Hawks Prairie. The site will close effective March 31.
The drive through testing site opened in March of 2020, to meet the needs of our community. Over the past year, we have served more than 36,000 individual patients with COVID-19 test collection.
If you need to get a COVID-19 test, there are many options available:
- If you are a Providence Medical Group patient, schedule an appointment with your primary care provider.
- If you are not a Providence Medical Group patient, walk-in appointments are available at our Immediate care clinics in West Olympia, Hawks Prairie and Lacey.
- Refer to Thurston County website for a list of all available locations.
As we close the testing site, we will continue to increase our vaccination efforts as COVID-19 vaccine allocation permits. We are shifting our resources to support the efforts of the WA state vaccine phase schedule in ramping up vaccination sites, in coordination with Thurston County.
All vaccination appointments for Providence will continue to be posted on the Washington Department of Health Vaccine Location website. Appointments must be made from this site, by clicking on your county and scheduling an appointment. Vaccine allocation information changes quickly, and your Providence doctor’s offices and hospitals do not have the latest updates. The Coronavirus Providence website will continue to be your best resources for the latest Providence information, which is also posted on our Providence Olympia Facebook page as updates are made to the website.
As of noon, on March 17, we still have hundreds of Moderna vaccine appointments available to eligible Thurston county residents. Please follow instructions noted above to schedule an appointment.
- Thursday, March 18: Lacey: PMG – Lacey Family Medicine
- Saturday, March 20: Lacey: PMG – Lacey Family Medicine
If the need should arise in our community, we will be able to reinstitute the drive through testing site in a matter of days, by shifting resources back to testing from vaccination. “Our caregivers are willing and able to be flexible by shifting their talents to where the greatest need is,” said Providence Chief Nursing Officer Suzie Scott. “If we were to see an influx of community members needing to be tested, we will reopen the drive through testing site to meet the demand. We will continue to work with our Thurston County partners to determine where the greatest need lies.”
Thank you for continuing to wear a mask, practicing social distancing and washing your hands frequently. These are among the best ways to prevent the spread of the virus and for you to stay safe. We want to thank our doctors, nurses and other caregivers working outside of their regular shifts to staff the vaccination clinics. Our essential work doesn’t stop as we continue to treat COVID-19 patients and others while also safely administering this vaccine.
