DRIVE-THRU VIRUS TESTING
College to host two-day site
Local demand for COVID-19 assessment has led Windsor Regional Hospital to organize a two-day testing blitz next week — to be held at the St. Clair College Sportsplex, with drive-thru options.
On Monday and Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., the college campus at 2000 Talbot Rd. will be a testing site open to all members of the public.
Vehicles entering the campus by either Talbot Road or Cabana Road will follow signs directing them to an outdoor testing area adjacent to the Sportsplex.
According to WRH, the initiative has the full approval of Ontario Health, and is being launched in response to people wanting testing ahead of schools reopening and workplaces returning to business.
WRH president and CEO David Musyj said the blitz is meant to offer an alternative for those who have been considering testing before September.
“We very much appreciate the generosity demonstrated by our friends at St. Clair College,” Musyj said. “Our community is fortunate that they have accommodated our needs and partnered with us to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.”
From April 17 to June 13, the St. Clair College Sportsplex served as a temporary field hospital for COVID-19 patients.
Musyj said that in September, the Sportsplex interior will continue to be utilized as a second COVID-19 assessment centre, while WRH sets up a more permanent site on the Met Campus.
Following the two-day blitz next week, additional testing will be available at the Sportsplex on Sept. 3 and 4, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Then, starting Sept. 8, the Sportsplex will have the same hours of the COVID-19 assessment centre on the WRH Ouellette Campus — 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.
In late July, WRH received approval from Ontario Health to establish a second COVID -19 assessment centre. However, progress on the site at the Met Campus has been delayed due to unavailability of trailers, which are used to house patients and staff during testing procedures.
Musyj said having the assessment centre at the Met Campus is the goal because WRH believes it’s important to conduct testing close to an emergency department, so that an arriving individual who requires more urgent care can be treated immediately.
“In advance of September, however, we felt a second option would be ideal for the community while we continue to prepare for a second assessment centre at Met Campus.”
Since March 16, when WRH opened its first COVID-19 assessment centre on the Ouellette Campus, WRH staff have tested more than 25,000 people for the novel coronavirus.
County residents are reminded that Erie Shores Healthcare in Leamington also has a COVID-19 assessment centre, open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends.