The State of California recently launched an online tool to help local community members find their nearest COVID-19 testing facility. Released to the public on May 17, the tool is also being used by California Office of Emergency Services and is continually being updated.

There are currently three testing sites listed within Emeryville including Stanford Health Care, One Medical and John Muir/UCSF Health.

According to the CDC, COVID-19 symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. The CDC recommends seeking immediate emergency medical care if you exhibit any of these symptoms. Individuals cannot be charged for out-of-pocket costs associated with COVID-19 assessment or testing by their insurance carriers.

Stanford Health Care

The Emeryville facility offers drive-thru testing in its parking structure from Monday through Friday. The facility recently began testing for asymptomatic (showing no symptoms) essential service workers who are not Stanford Health Care patients. As of now, Stanford Health Care is not offering tests for the general public.

According to Stanford Health Care Chief Administrative Officer Catherine Krna, the Emeryville facility will remain open until there is a mass ability to test more broadly or there isn’t a need within the Emeryville community.

At the time of publication, the Stanford lab has conducted over 50,000 COVID-19 tests, including of Stanford Health Care workers and surgical patients. Roughly 15,000 of tests were Stanford patients and non-patients signing up with Stanford Health Care to get tested. 1,500 of those tests were done at the Emeryville site. The goal is to test tens of thousands of people a day.

Krna noted testing was recently expanded to asymptomatic Stanford Health Care workers. Only 0.26 percent have tested positive, which likely means the use of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) and good social distancing practices have helped keep local healthcare workers safe. Because of this, Krna encourages individuals to return for care and treatment not related to COVID-19.

“I think it will be important for the community to know that not only is Stanford safe to come back to, because we’ve done this testing, but that the Emeryville facility is open for all services,” said Krna.

Getting tested at Stanford Health Care

Those looking to be tested must first make a primary care video appointment. After registering, essential service workers and first responders will schedule a video visit with a nurse or physician that will take place within 24 to 48 hours. Patients under 18 years of age can be joined on their video visit by a parent or legal guardian.

You can also initiate a test via Stanford’s First Responder and Essential Worker App available through the Apple App store. Within 24 to 48 hours, a Stanford nurse or physician will determine if you need to get tested for COVID-19 and help you make a testing site appointment.

After presenting identification onsite, individuals will receive a nasopharyngeal (nose) swab. Negative test results are emailed securely online via Stanford’s MyHealth app. All positive test results will be communicated over a phone call from a nurse or a physician.

At this time, Stanford Health Care has the capacity to do roughly 600 tests per day at their outpatient sites, including Emeryville’s. Stanford Health Care is not offering the serology (antibody) test at any of the sites at this time.

“We are working to scale up,” said Krna. “We are cautiously optimistic that by mid-summer, we should be able to add to our testing capacity.”

Address: 5818 Peladeau Street

Hours: Monday-Friday 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Saturday & Sunday 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Phone: 650-498-9000 (Primary Care) or 650-736-5211 (Express Care)

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One Medical

One Medical currently offers COVID-19 drive-thru testing at its San Rafael, Sunnyvale, San Francisco (SOMA) and Laurel Heights locations. At its Emeryville location, COVID-19 testing is currently being conducted inside its office. All other health-related services at the facility have been paused.

The company is currently allowing essential workers to sign up for a free 30-day trial membership. This will allow them to do a digital COVID-19 screening with the One Medical virtual care team through the One Medical app (available for iPhone or Android), get set up with a testing appointment as appropriate and receive a care plan following their results.

At this time, One Medical has the capacity to test thousands of people per week at their Bay Area testing sites. According to One Medical, testing is provided to people with COVID-19 concerns, regardless of symptoms.

How to get tested with One Medical

Those with coronavirus concerns can access One Medical’s virtual care services by visiting the One Medical website and entering code: GETCARE30. One Medical will not auto-enroll or bill a membership fee at the end of the 30-day period.

After registering, essential workers will get access to One Medical virtual care services, including the COVID-19 symptoms assessment tool to help its medical team develop the appropriate care plan. Users will be prompted by a brief questionnaire and the One Medical team will get back to them with next steps, which may include a video chat and setting up an appointment at a local test site. After a virtual consultation, essential workers recommended by a provider for testing will be prioritized in the testing schedule.

Individuals will be tested via a nasopharyngeal (nose) swab or oral swab, depending on supplies. Turnaround times are 2-5 days in many cases, but it could take up to seven days depending on the capacity of the labs at that given time. One Medical is processing test results through lab partners like Labcorp.

One Medical now offering antibody tests

According to a One Medical spokesperson, antibody testing is offered for any patients who request it. The company highly recommends those interested in receiving a COVID-19 antibody test to book a “remote visit” with their provider to discuss the nuanced benefits and limitations of these tests, and decide which test(s) to order. One Medical has posted a blog on its approach and knowledge of antibody testing.

Address: 1333 Powell Street, Suite 103

Hours: Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. & 1 p.m. – 3p.m.
Saturday & Sunday 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Phone (members): 510-225-1000
Phone (non-members): 1-888-663-6331.

Email: essentialworkers@onemedical.com

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John Muir Health/UCSF Health

According to director of corporate communications Ben Drew, John Muir Health is not taking walk-in patients and is screening all JMH patients via phone before scheduling any appointments.

Patients should first call their primary care physician. If they don’t have a PCP, they should then call an urgent care center. Patients must have an order from a John Muir Health-affiliated doctor to get a test. Once approved, each patient will receive an appointment at one of the urgent care centers, ideally the one closest to them.

How to get tested at JMH/UCSF Berkeley Urgent Care

In-network patients with symptoms can calls JMH/UCSF Berkeley Urgent Care where they will be assessed over the phone to determine if symptoms may indicate the possibility of COVID-19 infection. They may then be scheduled for a video visit with a physician or asked to come in for an in-person visit if the physician determines a closer examination is needed.

If a physician determines a patient should be tested, the patient will be directed to one of JMH’s mobile testing sites at either their Walnut Creek or Brentwood facilities. The patient will need to drive to the testing site and stay in their car while a nasopharyngeal (nose) swab is taken. JMH is currently routing patients to these testing locations because it allows them to conserve PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) and centralize resources, such as testing kits.

If an in-person visit at the Berkeley Outpatient Center is needed, and the physician determines the patient should be tested, the patient will be tested at the Berkeley Outpatient Center.

Patients are notified of their results through their electronic health record or through notification from their physician’s office. Test results are typically returned within 2-3 days.

Address: 3100 San Pablo Avenue, Berkeley (border of Emeryville)
Hours: Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Saturday & Sunday 8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m
Phone: 510-985-5200 (Specialty & Primary Care)

Additional testing facilities can be found on the ACGov.org website →

All photos taken by Sarah Belle Lin except where otherwise noted.
Feature Image Courtesy: Dean Hesse and decaturish.com