WRH Adjusts COVID-19 Assessment Centre Hours of Operation Due to Steady High Volume
9-7-2020
Windsor Regional Hospital is expanding the weekday hours of operation for the COVID-19 Assessment Centre at Ouellette Campus in response to consistently high volumes of individuals seeking a swab test for the virus.
Effective Saturday, July 11, the Ouellette campus COVID-19 Assessment Centre will be open from 8 am to 7 pm Monday through Friday. Hours on Saturdays and Sundays are from 9 am to 4 pm.
Also, those individuals who require a COVID-19 test as a pre-operative requirement will be notified directly of when to come to the Assessment Centre for their own testing.
We are aware that recent volumes have increased based largely on the need for testing before surgeries, as well as by individuals who require a test before visiting loved ones at local long-term care and retirement homes.
Hours at the Assessment Centre, located next to the Emergency Department at the Ouellette Campus, have been adjusted periodically to reflect steady increases and decreases in volumes. Hours were extended in May after hitting record-breaking volumes but scaled back again on June 4 amid a significant drop-off in late afternoon visitors.
In more recent days, we have seen steady volumes throughout the day, including situations where some individuals had to be turned away in late afternoon because volumes were too high for available staffing resources. In response, we are adding the additional hours to better accommodate visitors.
Weekday volumes have been at above 260 per day since June 26 (with the exception of Canada Day, when 183 attended the assessment centre for testing). Yesterday, the assessment centre saw a new record of 329 visitors, breaking the previous high of 321 visitors on June 30. The high in May was 319, recorded on May 27.
In total, 14,256 individuals have come to the COVID-19 Assessment Centre for testing since it opened on March 16. More than 95% of these individuals received a test. After initially being based on a specific set of guidelines, the criteria for testing has expanded since the start of the pandemic and since April 1st, the vast majority of those who arrived for an assessment have received a swab test. In late May, the Premier of Ontario encouraged ALL individuals to get tested if they want one, including those who are asymptomatic.
As has always been in the case in Windsor, you do NOT need a referral from Telehealth Ontario, primary care, or the Health Unit in order to be tested. Shelter from the sun continues to be in place at the waiting area and water is handed out to those waiting as needed based on the recent extremely high temperatures and humidity.
The COVID-19 Assessment Centre is staffed with physicians and nursing staff daily. Patients should also know that the COVID-19 Assessment Centre is a safe environment for testing and care.
When you attend the COVID-19 Assessment Centre at the Ouellette campus of WRH you will:
- Get swabbed to determine if you are positive for COVID-19;
- Get "in and out" quickly, safely and efficiently;
- By getting tested you can protect yourself, your family and your community.
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