Looking for a drug test near me in Covington, LA? You can get one at Total Health Urgent Care, where we run rapid on-site 5 panel and 10 panel drug screens for job applicants, random checks, post-accident testing and workman’s comp cases. Our urgent care services page also lists chain of custody drug screens for employers that get sent off, plus DOT and non DOT screens. Skip the appointment if you like, since the doors stay open from 7 AM to 7 PM on all seven days.
Quick facts
- Tests: rapid on-site 5 panel and 10 panel screens, employer chain of custody screens that get sent off, and DOT drug screens, all listed on our services page.
- Hours: open 7 AM until 7 PM, weekends included, per that same services page. Walk in, or ask for an appointment if you’d rather.
- Bring: a photo ID (for DOT collections, 49 CFR 40.61 has the collector check one) and a list of the prescription drugs, over-the-counter medicines, or supplements you take, which MedlinePlus says may affect your test results.
- Cost: ring (985) 400-5370 and ask for a self-pay estimate first. Companies can ask about discount contract pricing, which our services page mentions.
The National Retail Federation’s 2026 holiday forecast press release says NRF expects retailers to hire between 325,000 and 375,000 seasonal workers. If one of those offers is yours, a screen may come with it, since the MedlinePlus Drug Testing page notes that “Employers may require that you pass a drug test before they will hire you.”
Where can I get a drug test near me in Covington?
Suite A of 73015 Hwy 25 is our spot, a little north of downtown Covington at the meeting of highways 190 and 25, and our services page notes the office is handy for Folsom and Franklinton too. If you’re searching for places to drug test near me from Mandeville, Abita Springs or Madisonville, we’re a walk-in option with Saturday and Sunday hours that match the weekdays.
Drug screens aren’t all we do, either. The same clinic handles walk-in urgent care, on-site x-rays, lab testing and DOT exams. Our home page sums Total Health up as independent, nurse-practitioner founded urgent and primary care for the Northshore.
What drug screening tests does Total Health offer?
If you need a drug screening test near me in Covington, we offer two kinds: quick on-site screens and chain of custody screens that get sent off. Our services page breaks the drug and DOT testing down like this:
- Rapid on-site screens: 5 panel or 10 panel, for pre-employment, random, post-accident or workman’s comp testing.
- Employer send-off screens: chain of custody drug screens for employers that get sent off.
- DOT exams and screenings: walk-ins welcome. A medical examiner who’s nationally registered through FMCSA does the exams, and we handle physicals and drug screens, DOT or non DOT.
- Pre-employment exams: full exams built around what your company requires.
- Company contracts: discount contract pricing may be available on testing and on yearly or pre-employment physicals, so companies should call for details.
Not sure which one you need? Check with whoever ordered the test before you come in.
What does a 5 panel vs 10 panel drug test check?
NIDA’s Drug Testing page says drug tests are commonly used to detect five categories of drugs as defined by the federally mandated workplace drug testing guidelines, although health care providers can order additional tests, if needed. For DOT tests, the federal rule 49 CFR 40.82 names the five: marijuana metabolites, cocaine metabolites, amphetamines, opioids, and phencyclidine (PCP). That same rule tells labs they must not test DOT specimens for any other drugs.
Louisiana law names the same five classes. La. R.S. 49:1002 says the state’s drug testing chapter applies to testing for the presence of marijuana, opioids, cocaine, amphetamines, and phencyclidine, and that it does not preclude or regulate testing for other drugs.
Beyond those five, that NIDA page lists barbiturates, benzodiazepines, alcohol, MDMA/MDA (Ecstasy/Molly) and methadone as additional categories drug tests can detect. Want to know exactly what’s on your 10 panel? Ask the employer who ordered it, or ask our front desk.
How does a DOT drug test work?
A DOT drug test follows federal rules from start to finish, and it’s lab-based. Under 49 CFR 40.210, only urine and oral fluid specimens screened and confirmed at HHS-certified laboratories are allowed, and point-of-collection tests, hair testing and instant tests are not authorized. Another rule, 49 CFR 40.71, says all collections under DOT agency drug testing regulations must be split specimen collections.
CDL drivers get a couple of extra rules from FMCSA. Under 49 CFR 382.301, an employer can’t let a driver it intends to hire or use perform safety-sensitive functions until it has received a verified negative test result for that driver. And 49 CFR 382.305 sets the minimum annual rate for random controlled substances testing at 50 percent of the average number of driver positions, except as provided in later paragraphs of that section.
Looking for a DOT drug test near me on the Northshore? Our services page lists physicals and drug screens for both DOT and non DOT needs, and DOT exams and screenings take walk-ins.
What should I bring to a drug test?
For a DOT test, bring a photo ID, and for any test, be ready to list your medicines. Here’s the checklist, with where each item comes from:
- A photo ID. For DOT collections, 49 CFR 40.61 says the collector must see a photo ID issued by the employer (other than in the case of an owner-operator or other self-employed individual) or a Federal, state, or local government, such as a driver’s license, and “You may not accept faxes or photocopies of identification.” The same rule also accepts positive identification by an employer representative.
- Your medicine list. The MedlinePlus Drug Testing page says: “Be sure to tell the testing professional if you are taking any prescription drugs, over-the-counter medicines, or supplements, because these substances may affect your test results.”
- Your employer’s paperwork. If the company gave you a form or told you which test to get, bring that along to check-in.
How long do drug test results take?
A rapid screen is the quick part. AFP’s review, Urine Drug Tests: Ordering and Interpretation, says immunoassays “can be performed at the point of care, provide rapid results, and are relatively inexpensive.” That AFP article adds: “Positive and unexpected negative samples are then sent to a reference laboratory for confirmatory testing.”
The MedlinePlus Drug Testing page says that if you have a positive test result, you’ll usually have a follow-up urine test to make sure the first test was correct. MedlinePlus’s Urine drug screen article names gas-chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) as a test that may be done to confirm the results. Ask at check-in how your results will come back for your test.
How long can a drug test detect drugs?
It varies by drug, from hours to weeks in AFP’s table below. NIDA’s Drug Testing page says the length of time following exposure that a drug can be detected during testing can vary. In its review of urine drug tests, AFP published Table 2, Commonly Ordered Drug Tests, Windows of Detection, and Analytes. Here are some of its rows:
Table source: AFP, Urine Drug Tests: Ordering and Interpretation (2019), Table 2.
For hair, the Hair Drug Testing Results and Self-reported Drug Use study on PubMed Central describes an extended detection window of approximately 1 month per half inch of hair, and it says a 1.5 inch section of hair captures a 90-day window of drug use. Searching for a follicle drug test near me? Call us first to ask about hair testing.
Can medicines cause a false positive drug test?
Yes, they can. The MedlinePlus Drug Testing page says false positives can happen if the test reacts with other chemicals in your body from certain over-the-counter medicines, prescriptions, and foods. AFP’s Urine Drug Tests review says immunoassays can give false-positive and false-negative results, so all results are considered presumptive until confirmatory testing is performed.
The follow-up after a false positive result is called a confirmatory test, and MedlinePlus says “It is a more sensitive test that provides more accurate results.” It’s one more reason to tell the person collecting your sample about every medicine and supplement you take.
Is an at-home drug test good enough?
Searching for an at home drug test near me? A home kit can give a fast answer, but a positive still needs a lab. The MedlinePlus Drug Testing page says “At-home tests let you do the entire test at home and get rapid results. But if the test result is positive for drugs, you’ll need to have a follow-up lab test to check the accuracy of the result.” MedlinePlus describes a second type as well: “A self-collection test has a kit for gathering urine, saliva, or another type of sample to send to a lab for testing.”
For DOT testing, 49 CFR 40.210 is blunt: instant tests are not authorized. If an employer asked you for a test, check with them before you buy a kit.
What should Louisiana employers know about drug testing?
Louisiana has its own rules, and they lean on certified labs. Under La. R.S. 49:1005, testing for marijuana, opioids, cocaine, amphetamines, and phencyclidine has to be performed in SAMHSA-certified, CAP-FUDT-certified, or CAP-FDT-certified laboratories when mandatory or discretionary negative employment consequences will be rendered to the individual as a result. R.S. 49:1002 adds that the chapter shall not apply to an employer or an employer’s agent who uses an on-site screening test when there are no negative employment consequences as defined in the chapter.
Workplace injuries add a wrinkle. Louisiana’s workers’ compensation statute, La. R.S. 23:1081, gives the employer the right to administer drug and alcohol testing or demand that the employee submit to testing immediately after the alleged job accident. Under that statute, if the employee refuses, it shall be presumed that the employee was intoxicated at the time of the accident. The same statute requires confirmation of any positive test result by gas chromatography, gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy, or other comparably reliable analytical method before the result can be used as a basis for any disqualification.
For employers, our rapid screens handle post-accident and workman’s comp testing along with pre-employment and random checks, and companies may qualify for discount contract pricing on testing and on yearly or pre-employment physicals, according to our services page. This section is general information, not legal advice, so run the details by your own attorney or HR advisor.
How much does a drug test cost in Covington?
Call for the current price. Our self-pay pricing page lists an office visit ($130) and an X-ray ($75), and it recommends a quick call beforehand to get an accurate estimate, because the list of services is so long. Dial (985) 400-5370 and ask for a drug screen quote. Employers setting up regular testing can ask about the discount contract pricing mentioned on our services page.
Which urgent care near me does drug screens on weekends?
Ours does, every day. Total Health is a walk-in urgent care in Covington that handles drug screens alongside illness care, injury care, on-site x-rays and lab testing, from 7 AM until 7 PM on all seven days. If you typed urgent care near me on a Saturday morning before a new job starts Monday, you can walk right in.
What should the best drug testing spot near Covington offer? We’d look for a 7 AM to 7 PM schedule that covers weekends, walk-in access, both rapid and chain of custody options, and DOT exams under one roof. Total Health offers all four, in Covington.
Drug test questions we hear from Northshore patients
No. According to the Total Health services page, you can walk in or request an appointment, and the clinic keeps the same 7 AM until 7 PM hours every day.
Call to ask. The services page on the Total Health site lists rapid on-site 5 panel and 10 panel screens plus employer chain of custody screens that are sent off, so call (985) 400-5370 and ask whether hair testing is available. Federal rule 49 CFR 40.210 also says hair testing is not authorized for DOT drug tests.
Yes, both. Our services page says a medical examiner who is nationally registered through FMCSA performs the DOT exams, and it lists physicals and drug screens for DOT and non DOT needs. You can walk in for either one.
A photo ID. Under 49 CFR 40.61, the collector must see a photo ID issued by your employer (unless you are an owner-operator or otherwise self-employed) or by a federal, state, or local government, such as a driver’s license, and faxes or photocopies of identification are not accepted.
Usually, yes. The MedlinePlus Drug Testing page says a positive result is usually followed by a follow-up urine test to make sure the first test was correct, and the MedlinePlus Urine drug screen article names gas-chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) as a test that may be done to confirm the results.
They may. Per the Total Health services page, companies may be able to get discount contract pricing on testing and on yearly or pre-employment physicals, and the page asks them to call for details.
Coming from Mandeville, Abita Springs, Madisonville, Slidell or Hammond and searching for a drug test location near me? Plug Suite A, 73015 Hwy 25, Covington 70435 into your map app. We open at 7 every morning and lock up at 7 every evening, weekends included. Questions about which test to get? Call (985) 400-5370, or use our contact page to send a note.
Total Health Urgent Care team members based in Covington prepared this drug testing guide for Northshore workers and employers. Use it as general health information, not as medical or legal advice, and in a medical emergency, call 911. Jennifer Duncan, APRN, MSN, FNP-C, dreamed up this clinic during a 25-plus year run in emergency and urgent care medicine.