One of Dallas’ testing sites is making a significant change in the way tests are carried out. Now, people who want to get tested in Ellis Davis Field House will need an appointment before getting a test done.
Ellis Davis Field House operated as one of Dallas county’s major testing sites early into the pandemic. At the time, it was run by Parkland Health & Hospital System. In early 2021, the site was transitioned to a vaccination center until late November, when it was closed due to limited demand.
After closing down just before Thanksgiving, the site, located at 9191 South Polk Street, off Interstate 20, reopened last week.
Upon its reopening, the site had an outpour of people waiting for hours to get tested. Now, county leaders hope that the appointments will help reduce traffic.
According to The Dallas Morning News, county leaders decided to change the site’s operating process after a Monday night meeting with Nomi Health, a private company operating the site in Dallas’ Red Bird neighborhood.
Judge Clay Jenkins, explaining the reason behind the change, said that the change in tactic would help the process get faster. “The only way we’re going to get people in and out in a good period of time is appointments,” he said at a Commissioner’s Court meeting on Tuesday.
Jenkins explained that people had to wait six hours in line before getting tested.
According to The Dallas Morning News, Boe Hartman, co-founder of Nomi Health, said at the Commissioner’s Court meeting that the new system is expected to reduce traffic at the site. He, however, also noted that the number of tests distributed would be cut down by as much as 50%.
Saying that the wait time for tests on Tuesday morning was between zero and ten minutes, Hartman expressed hopes that the site would have a maximum wait time of 30 minutes henceforth.
The testing site at Ellis David Field House operates daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Appointments can be made here.