Memorial Healthcare has expanded testing criteria for COVID-19. This testing will now be available to asymptomatic individuals (no symptoms) who are living or working in high-risk settings such as healthcare, emergency services, and nursing homes. Specifically, this includes:
- Healthcare employees, particularly workers or first responders who are or have been working in close proximity to COVID-19 positive patients or staff or those determined to be of high risk.
- Nursing home or long-term care patients and residents who have been in close proximity to positive patients/residents or staff or those determined to be of high risk.
- Essential workers in the community including public safety, grocery, food service, deliveries, etc.
Employers seeking to have their workforce tested, or individuals that fall into one of the above categories, are asked to contact Memorial Healthcare at (989) 720-2131 for priority determination. Individuals will be seen on an appointment basis only at a separate location from the hospital’s main campus.
Memorial Healthcare continues to offer a walk-in Alternate Care Site on its main campus, 7 days a week from 7 am to 7 pm for those individuals with mild to moderate flu-like symptoms such as fever, cough, chills, muscle aches, headache, and new loss of taste or smell. After 7 pm, individuals should seek care at Memorial Healthcare’s Emergency Department. Any individual with severe symptoms, such as extreme shortness of breath, should immediately call 9-1-1 or go to the nearest Emergency Department. If coming to Memorial Healthcare’s Emergency Department, individuals as asked to call (989) 723-5211 prior to their arrival.
In addition to COVID-19 testing, Memorial Healthcare will be offering a test in May, which identifies the presence of COVID-19 antibodies, an indication of potential immunity. The new test determines previous patient exposure and represents a vital step in COVID-19 vaccination research and development.
This new immunity testing will offer employers, educational institutions, and healthcare facilities the opportunity to test employee and student health before returning to the workplace or school.
Please be assured that Memorial Healthcare has done, and continues to do, everything in its power to prepare for the enormous challenge presented with the COVID-19 pandemic. We continue to work closely with the Shiawassee County Health Department and follow the latest guidance from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO), and the Michigan Department for Health and Human Services.
Our community’s best defense from COVID-19 is for every resident to follow, as strictly as possible, the social distancing guidelines in place.
For more information on Memorial Healthcare’s COVID-19 testing capabilities, visit www.memorialhealthcare.org/coronavirus-covid-19-updates-what-to-know/.
