Vail Health opens COVID-19 Vail testing site starting Nov. 13

As cases of COVID-19 rise dramatically in Eagle County to levels not seen since March, Vail Health issued a press release Thursday on its new COVID-19 testing site in Vail starting Friday, Nov. 13.

Eagle County has seen 160 new cases of COVID-19 in the last week, bringing the overall total to nearly 1,800 cases and 11 deaths since the pandemic first hit the area in early March. Here’s the latest Vail Health release:

On Friday, November 13, Vail Health will open a COVID-19 testing site in the heart of Vail. Located in a mobile testing facility outside the current Emergency Department at Vail Health Hospital, 181 W. Meadow Drive, patients will be able to receive testing without seeing a provider. COVID-19 testing will be conducted seven days-a-week from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. by appointment only. Patients can park near the site by visiting the concierge service at the main entrance of the hospital.

“Convenient access to reliable rapid turnaround testing is essential to helping us determine if a patient has COVID-19 so that we can treat them and ensure that transmission to others is minimized. It also helps keep our schools open and safe and allows business to remain open,” said Will Cook, President and CEO of Vail Health. “This newest testing site allows people in the main Vail corridor a more convenient location for testing and helps ensure Vail Health’s Clean Clinic Promise by directing them to an area outside the main hospital.”

To book an appointment, please email vailcovidtesting@vailhealth.org with the four necessary items below. Patients can expect to receive a call to schedule an appointment within one business day. Vail Health will be offering the nasopharyngeal molecular diagnostic tests. The confidence intervals of the tests used by Vail Health have a 95% sensitivity and 99% specificity rate. 

Include in email:

• Name
• Phone number
• A picture of photo ID*
• Front-and-back pictures of health insurance card*

*For those who do not have a government-issued photo ID or health insurance, an appointment for a test can still be made by emailing the name and phone number only.

The Vail Health Lab in Vail, Colorado will process all samples, and COVID-19 test results will be available through the Vail Health Patient Portal within 72 hours of receiving the test for those over 18 years old. If under 18 years old, a patient’s guardian(s) can expect a phone call. Complete instructions on how to enroll and access the Patient Portal will be provided at the time of testing. 

“Our Vail Health Lab team has been diligently working to bring our COVID-19 testing in-house, which ensures a quicker, more efficient turnaround time for results,” said Chris Lindley, Chief Population Health Officer for Vail Health. “With Vail Health’s new in-house testing capabilities, more than 500 tests can be processed per day. Their dedication to this process allows us to provide a more accurate and timely depiction of what is happening in our mountain communities and is setting us up for success as we enter the winter ski season.”

Vail Health and its partner Colorado Mountain Medical are offering COVID-19 testing at five locations throughout the Eagle River Valley. 

For those that would like to be tested without seeing a provider, in addition to the Vail location, appointments are also available at the COVID-19 testing trailer outside Colorado Mountain Medical in Avon (50 Buck Creek Road) by emailing covidscreening@cmmhealth.org. Appointments are available Mon-Fri from 9am-4pm.

If you feel sick, please make an appointment at one of the three following locations to see a provider for testing. Appointments are available by calling 970-926-6340.

Sites                                                   Address                                 Hours

Eagle: Colorado Mountain Medical, 377 Sylvan Lake Road, Mon–Fri, 8:00am-6:00pm; Sat, 8 am-5pm; Sun, 10am-4pm

Avon: Urgent Care (no appt needed), 230 Beaver Creek Place, Daily, 8am-8pm

Vail: Colorado Mountain Medical, 108 S Frontage Road, Mon–Fri, 8am-5pm; Sat, 8am – 5pm; Sun, 10am–4pm  

Billing: For those with health insurance, insurance will be billed, and any out of pocket fee additional costs will be waived. Anyone without health insurance must attest via an official attestation form to no insurance, and fees will be waived for the patient and covered by Vail Health. 

Please note: Anyone who is tested must isolate until results are received. Do not go back to school or work. Refer to Eagle County Public Health guidance for isolation and quarantine information. For those that have been in contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 or is under quarantine at the instruction of Eagle County Public Health, a negative COVID-19 test does not eliminate the need for quarantine. Please refer to Eagle County’s Public Health guidance on retesting, available on the Eagle County Government COVID-19 Website.

For additional information regarding COVID-19 testing in Eagle County, or instructions on accessing the Patient Portal, please visit https://www.vailhealth.org/covid-19/testing.