New Urgent Care Center Offers Coronavirus And Antibody Testing

CRESTWOOD, IL — A new urgent care provider in the area is now offering testing for COVID-19 at its Crestwood and 95th Street and Western Avenue locations. Both facilities will provide testing from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week with no appointment needed.

WellNow Urgent Care, is offering both the molecular polymerase chain reaction (PCR) COVID-19 and blood antibody serology tests at its facilities located at 9501 S. Western Ave., Chicago (Beverly-Evergreen Park border) and 13448 S. Cicero Ave., Crestwood. WellNow provides another option on the South Side and south suburbs to directly screen patients for the coronavirus.

“Bringing COVID-19 testing to our communities in Chicago is a top priority during this time of crisis,” said WellNow Urgent Care President John Radford, M.D. in a news release. “Residents in these communities are seeing the virus hit their neighborhoods harder and faster than many in the state. It’s our responsibility, now more than ever, to make sure they too can confidently and safely access quality care — no one should be afraid to get care.”

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Currently, there are two forms of COVID-19 testing used by health care providers: molecular (PCR) testing and blood antibody serology testing. The serology blood test identifies the presence of antibodies that indicate that a person had an immune response to COVID-19 (also known as coronavirus or SARS-CoV-2) through blood draws. Medical experts claim the PCR nasal swab test for being the most accurate as it directly identifies the presence of the virus.

The molecular (PCR) test, like a flu test, requires a nasopharyngeal swab (nasal swab) to determine if a patient has a COVID-19 infection. Individuals who have or recently had symptoms of the virus will be screened in their car, provided a mask and brought directly to a private patient room for further evaluation and testing. This test is said to be highly accurate and sensitive in detecting viral particles and will return results within approximately 48 hours.

Patients will be treated on a walk-in basis but may also check-in online or view up-to-date facility wait times directly in Crestwood and Evergreen Park. The company also offers telehealth visits through WellNow Virtual Medical. WellNow welcomes most insurance, including Medicare, Medicaid. A full list of services and hours can be found online at WellNow Urgent Care.

WellNow Urgent Care has more than 40 locations in New York and Illinois. The urgent care provider treats non-life threatening injuries and illnesses seven days a week with no appointment and online check-ins available. Patients can also used the company’s telehealth platform with WellNow for occupational medicine programs. A full list of WellNow services and hours can be found online.

The WellNow offices can be reached at 773-344-9465 (95th Street and Western Avenue) and 708-682-3384 (Crestwood). COVID-19 tests are subject to supply.

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