Beginning Monday, April 13th, patients who meet the Oregon Health Authority-established guidelines for COVID-19 testing can have their specimens collected at the Emergency Department at 500 5th Street in Brookings (Curry Medical Center-Emergency Care).
While Curry Health Network could not earlier provide that service in Brookings due to the inability to maintain specimen viability during transport between Brookings and Gold Beach, the Network has worked out the logistics and run tests that prove the specimens can be kept at the required sub-zero temperature and remain viable throughout transport.
Current OHA guidelines still require that the flu be ruled out prior to performing a test for COVID-19, but Curry Health Network will be collecting specimens for both tests (flu & COVID-19) at the same visit, alleviating the need for the patient to return to the emergency department for a second specimen collection. The COVID-19 sample will only be sent out to an external reference laboratory for testing if the patient is negative for flu.
Patients are invited to call the 24/7 COVID-19 Nurse Triage line at 541.247.3090 with questions to help determine if they should present to the emergency department in Brookings or Gold Beach for specimen collection.
While many of you have learned that Curry General Hospital received an Abbott ID-NOW rapid COVID-19 testing machine last week, we only received 48 specimen cartridges – many of which will be used when validating the machine and when establishing technician competencies. While it is possible that the validation and training may be completed sometime next week, there has been no supply chain established to obtain more specimen cartridges. Therefore, because of the small number of specimen cartridges available, this rapid test will initially be reserved only for those patients requiring hospitalization, and health care workers who meet criteria established by the OHA.
Again, those with questions about COVID-19 specimen collection and testing are invited to call the 24/7 Nurse Triage Line at 541.247.3090.
