HealthBar launches rapid COVID-19 testing site in Grand Rapids

HealthBar launches rapid COVID-19 testing site in Grand Rapids

 

GRAND RAPIDS — HealthBar, a Grand Rapids-based provider of customized health care services for businesses, has launched a new drive-thru COVID-19 testing site.

The site, located at 412 Fuller Ave. NE in Grand Rapids, provides all types of testing formats, from rapid antigen testing — which provides results in around 15 minutes — to lab PCR and saliva tests, for which results are available from one to three days. HealthBar has partnered with NxGen Mdx for lab PCR testing, which is considered the most reliable form of testing in most situations.

HealthBar also offers an antibody test, which involves a finger prick and blood sample to detect short-term antibodies.

HealthBar, which employs a team of registered nurses, informs patients of their test results and provides recommendations on any further testing.

The company launched in May and has leased out the testing location for six months with the option of extending it an additional six months.

The drive-through location operates on a first-come, first-serve basis. Rapid antigen testing costs $100 in the drive-through format and both the PCR and saliva tests cost $165, which is collected at the time of service. HealthBar does not bill insurance carriers.

Led by founder and CEO Nathan Baar, HealthBar provides these same testing services onsite for businesses.

“We were out and about talking to everyone and really found that access to testing was getting harder and harder and result times were getting longer and longer and it was really having a very negative impact on peoples’ day-to-day lives as well as business operations for our business partners,” Baar told MiBiz. “We wanted to put a resource in place that was both available to the public but also the businesses that we partner with to keep them up and operational as much as possible and as safely as possible.”

Baar said that, with so many different types of tests available to patients, educating them on which one is right for their situation is an important piece of the equation.

“We definitely want to provide a resource for people to say, ‘This is how you determine what test is best for you,’” he said. “We still really want to leave the final option up to the individual given how we offer our services on an a la carte and concierge basis where someone can choose what they would like to have. But we want to educate at the same time.”

The location was open for three days late this month but will operate Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. next week.

Additionally, HealthBar recently tweaked its branding. Originally dubbed HealthBaar, after Baar’s name, the company switched to the more conventional spelling to avoid confusion.