Dahl Memorial Healthcare will not be holding an annual health fair this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although there won’t be a health fair, Dahl will still be offering the service of screening labs at a lower cost to local community members. Staff also recently announced that they are starting a program called Lab Check which will cover four screening tests to the public year-round.

Lab Check is currently being offered on Monday and Friday mornings. Call Dahl Memorial at 406-775-8730 to schedule these services. Providers are currently unable to accept walk-ins as to abide by current social distancing standards and public health protocol, and patients will be required to wear a mask while inside the facility to aide in protecting staff and residents.

Lab Check is a service provided at a lower cost and payment is required at the time of service. The hospital can offer these services at a lower cost because valuable resources required to submit claims to healthcare insurance are not used. If a person getting these screening labs would like to submit a claim to their health insurance carrier on their own, paperwork is available at the facility. Dahl Memorial will not be issuing statements for lab check.  If a business or employer will be paying for their employee’s labs, the employee will have to pay at time of service and the employer can later reimburse them.

When presenting for the scheduled draw, individuals are asked to do so through the ER doors to eliminate unnecessary traffic through the facility. A DMHA employee will let those with appointments inside the door, provide them with the necessary paperwork and accept payment at the lab.

Labs will be reviewed by a provider and mailed back within 7-10 business days, depending on chosen tests. 

Medical providers at Dahl say that an annual physical exam with one’s primary care provider (PCP) is just as important as seeing one when acutely ill. An annual physical examination with a PCP is one of the biggest keys in maintaining health and is necessary for anyone with chronic medical conditions that require daily medications.

A year ago, when COVID-19 first hit the US, these types of exams were pushed back and even discouraged. Exceptions were made to help patients avoid unnecessary exposure to the virus. Last year’s health fair was canceled and will not be occurring again this year. Now that things have settled a bit, the hospital is trying to get all patients caught up on their annual exams and blood work.

At an annual exam, local providers will discuss any chronic health conditions and discuss preventative health measures such as mammograms, colorectal cancer screening, mental health screenings, vaccinations, etc. They can obtain vital signs and make sure there are no new concerns and often will recommend blood work to ensure that new conditions have not developed and that any current medications are not causing adverse effects. Additionally, any prescriptions must be renewed annually, and this requires a face-to-face appointment in the clinic unless otherwise discussed with a provider.

For these reasons, Dahl providers are recommending that anyone who has not been seen in the clinic in the last six to twelve months call to make an appointment. Some individuals may be contacted by the clinic to schedule an appointment with their PCP if they have not done so already. Those who have not had blood work in over a year and normally do so at Dahl’s annual health fair may call and speak with someone in the lab about Lab Check.

Tests offered through Lab Check include a standard panel (electrolytes/lipids/liver/CBC/iron/TSH/uric acid) for $35, a prostate specific antigen (males only) for $25, vitamin D for $30 and hemoglobin A1C (average amount of glucose in the blood over the last 3 months) for $20.