Children's Hospital offers drive-thru COVID-19 testing to students, family members and school staff

NEW ORLEANS WDSU - In October of 2020, Children's Hospital began offering drive-thru COVID-19 testing to students, family members and school staff.

To date, more than 3,500 patients across seven parishes have been tested.

Chief Quality Officer, Dr. Leron Finger, said the demand for testing has only increased in recent weeks. On average, 120 patients are tested each day.

Finger told WDSU that the hospital shares its data with local school districts.

"I can’t tell you a more valuable resource that they’ve been able to utilize in their efforts to combat COVID-19," Finger said. "Now we can give those results in almost real time to parents and families, as well as schools, which is critical to making those quarantine decisions."

Test results are normally available within two to three hours.

All testing requires an appointment, which can be scheduled by a school or pediatrician.