New life for closed Charlotte diner: Drive-thru COVID-19 testing starts at Art’s BBQ
Tryon Medical Partners announced Friday it will open a second local COVID-19 testing location at a familiar spot for many Charlotteans.
The independent medical practice will open a drive-thru testing clinic at 1 p.m. Friday at 900 East Morehead Street, formerly Art’s BBQ & Deli. An appointment is required and patients must first be screened by a doctor with the practice before being tested at the center. Patients are urged to call their doctor prior to arriving at a medical facility if they suspect they have COVID-19.
Tryon Medical’s first Charlotte-area drive-thru COVID-19 testing clinic opened March 17 on Matthews Township Parkway and saw nearly 50 patients in the first day. Both locations will be open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Reported COVID-19 cases in Mecklenburg County have risen exponentially since the inital drive-thru testing began, increasing from 14 reported on March 18 to 204 reported Thursday evening.
Tryon CEO Dale Owen said the tests usually take four days to receive results.
“We still have an opportunity to starve the virus by stepping up our social distancing and quarantine efforts — but everyone must change their daily routine to stop this virus,” he said in a statement Friday.
The drive-thru testing clinic is open to Tryon Medical patients. New patients can register with the practice before testing.
Art’s BBQ now a coronavirus testing center
The testing center opening Friday afternoon is housed in the old Art’s BBQ & Deli, a 43-year-old diner that closed at the end of last year. The Duke Endowment bought the location for $1.6 million in June 2016, the Observer reported in November.
The state recommends people with only mild symptoms stay home and skip the test.
“Because there is no treatment for COVID-19, a test will not change what someone with mild symptoms will do,” the state health department said in a statement Thursday.
Symptoms of COVID-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus, include coughing, fever and shortness of breath.
Patients at the Tryon Medical testing clinic will first be tested for the flu, according to the practice. If the flu test is negative, doctors will test for COVID-19.
Tryon Medical serves more than 130,000 in the Charlotte region.
Charlotte’s hospitals Atrium Health and Novant Health each have COVID-19 testing locations as well.
Atrium is one of the only medical providers to test for the illness in-house.
Tryon and Novant send tests to North Carolina-based diagnostics company LabCorp.
Atrium opened a testing clinic at Charlotte Motor Speedway’s zMAX Dragway this week. Atrium patients get test results back in about 24 hours, the hospital system said in a statement.
This story was originally published March 27, 2020 at 10:08 AM.
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