Rapid Testing Center offering COVID saliva testing at DSU’s Atwood Innovation Plaza

ST. GEORGE, Utah — Rapid Testing Center, a business incubated in Dixie State University’s Atwood Innovation Plaza, is now offering accurate, convenient COVID-19 saliva testing in Southern Utah.

“Rapid Testing Center was founded to help the Southern Utah community during this global pandemic by bringing fast and effective COVID-19 testing in a central location with precise results,” Dr. Jonathan M Baugh, the company’s chief medical officer, said. “We are from this community and want to help in this tumultuous time.”

Founded by Baugh, a local ER physician, and CEO Stacy Welker, a trauma nurse practitioner, Rapid Testing Center offers drive-through saliva testing for COVID-19 in the heart of St. George. By driving through the roundabout driveway on the west side of Atwood Innovation Plaza, located at 453 S. 600 East, community members can conveniently get tested without leaving their cars, minimizing exposure.

Doctors’ orders aren’t required for testing. The center is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and accepts drive-up patients on a first come, first served basis. In the event no one is attending the drive-through, individuals should call (435)-574-8223 and not exit their vehicles. 

“I know that the testing we do at Rapid Testing Center has brought knowledge, direction and peace of mind to numerous people and families that I have had the chance to interact with,” Terra Gaylord, Rapid Testing Center’s director of operations, said.

Once the test is completed, it is processed in St. George at Soft Cell Biological Research, another company incubated in DSU’s Atwood Innovation Plaza.

As Southern Utah’s hub for innovation and entrepreneurism, Dixie State University’s Atwood Innovation Plaza not only helped launch Rapid Testing Center, but also provides ongoing support through various business services, in line with the university’s new polytechnic direction.

“Building strong relationships with companies and organizations is a central tenet of a polytechnic university and we look forward to expanding our relationship with Rapid Testing Center and other local companies,” Dr. Michael Lacourse, Dixie State’s provost and vice president for academic affairs, said. “I’m especially excited to learn they are quickly growing and will soon be in a position to provide internship and other learning opportunities for our students.”

To learn more about Rapid Testing Center, visit www.rapidtestingcenter.com. For more information about Dixie State University’s Atwood Innovation Plaza, visit innovation.dixie.edu.