Cornerstone Care recently announced that its community health center in Rogersville and several other centers are now offering drive-up testing for anyone who needs a COVID-19 test at no cost and regardless of insurance status.
Testing is available at the Rogersville drive-up site for persons with COVID-19 related symptoms such as fever, cough, shortness of breath and chills, or for anyone who suspects exposure to someone infected with COVID-19.
“Our mission compels us to do what we can to prevent the spread of the disease and to provide access to health care for all in need,” said Rich Rinehart, Cornerstone Care CEO, in a release issued on July 2.
“It has been a challenge to get test kits, but we’ve worked diligently with our partners such as Quest Labs and LabCorp to make testing more available to the communities we serve.”
Sarah DeCarlo, director of clinical operations, added in the release that testing is important to identify active infection, ensure proper health care response and reduce infecting others with the disease.
“It helps to save lives,” DeCarlo said.
She added that anyone diagnosed or who suspects they may have COVID-19 must avoid contact with others to prevent spread.
“Cornerstone Care can do contact tracing to identify anyone who may have been exposed to a person with the disease, she said. “Our goal is to keep the number of positive cases as low as possible, especially to protect those who are more vulnerable such as senior citizens and people of any age with health conditions. Younger persons with an underlying condition can be just as vulnerable to succumbing to the disease as someone 75 years old.”
In the release, DeCarlo also reminded residents that a person without any symptoms may test positive for the disease and can spread the virus.
“As with any test, results are not 100% guaranteed, so multiple tests may be needed,” she said. “A negative test is a moment-in-time assessment and should not be construed as a reason not to take standard precautions.
She also stressed that social distancing and masking remain vitally important to protecting each other from getting the disease.
To schedule a test at the Rogersville drive-up location, call 724-947-2257. Drive-up testing is available at the Rogersville office, located at 140 Church Street, on Thursdays from 3 to 5 p.m.
Telephone screening for COVID-19 is also available by calling 1-855-469-6322 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. In Greene County, callers will receive health advice and may be given an appointment for testing at the Rogersville drive-up site or at Greene County’s other community health centers located in Mt. Morris or Greensboro.
Patients with a drive-up appointment must remain in the vehicle as the test will be given while inside the vehicle. Testing results will be available in three to five days.
For more information, visit online at www.CornerstoneCare.com.
Drive-up testing is also available at the Waynesburg MedExpress, also known as Waynesburg Urgent Care Center. According to the website, www.medexpress.com, those wishing to be tested are asked to call the center to determine if they meet the CDC-based screening criteria prior to visiting, for their safety and for the safety of our other patients and team members.
The facility is located at 451 Murtha Drive in Waynesburg and is open every day from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. For more information, call 724-852-6391.
Meanwhile, according to the Washington Health System’s website, www.whs.org, WHS is still offering one off-site COVID-19 screening location, in Washington, until Monday, July 13.
The Greene County location is closed. The website states that presurgery screening for COVID-19 can be done at the WHS-Greene draw site, for asymptomatic patients only.
For testing of patients suspected of an active COVID-19 infection, those patients are asked to contact the laboratory at WHS-Greene for specific instructions. The telephone number is 724-627-2608.
This article was first published on the Green County Messenger on July 10, 2020 by Steve Barrett. As of the Messenger’s press time, there were 44 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Greene County.
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