COVID-19 testing stops at Church of the Highlands Grants Mill

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - COVID-19 testing at Church of the Highlands off Grants Mill Road stopped Saturday afternoon. Over the past five days, more than 2,000 people were tested at the drive-thru testing site including 100 Saturday morning before the testing site was shut down.

"We will not resume (testing) at this location. We've been talking to UAB and they feel like what they will be providing will be sufficient for now," said Church of the Highlands Pastor Chris Hodges.

Christ Health Center, along with Church of the Highlands, opened the free drive-thru testing site on March 17th at the Church of the Highlands Grandview campus before moving it to their Grants Mill Road campus.

"We expected 500 people, but 2,000 showed up," said Hodges.

Doctor Robert Record, CEO of Christ Health Center, and his crew of doctors and nurses worked 14-hour days, along with countless volunteers, to test as many patients as they could this past week.

"If you could see them coming through. One said I have stage 4 lung cancer, I have a fever, I have a cough, I need this result. So we couldn't go home and say we tested, we had to go home and find out what the results said," Dr. Record said.

Although Church of the Highlands doesn't supply the tests, Pastor Chris Hodges said if any lab company or doctor wants to use their church for future testing, they're more than willing to help out.

"I'll make that commitment right here. If we're needed by another lab or another set of doctors, if we can do it, we have every intention of doing it. We are going to get through this. The sky is not falling. We are going to get through this together and we will be better than we were before," added Pastor Hodges.

Pastor Hodges said Church of the Highlands will remain closed due to COVID-19 restrictions, but encourages everyone to find a Sunday service online, whether if it’s theirs or another church, and pray together as one.

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