OSF pauses asymptomatic testing
With the rise of COVID-19 infections primarily among the unvaccinated, OSF HealthCare is asking members of communities it serves to refrain from coming to their facilities for asymptomatic and close contact testing.
Dr. Mike Cruz, MD, FACEP, chief operating officer for OSF HealthCare, noted a variety of options exist for people who seek to travel, return to work or otherwise need to be tested, including community testing sites, at-home kits and retail pharmacy locations. He stressed that emergency departments at hospitals should be reserved for true medical emergencies and not used as a means to achieve a COVID-19 test result by asymptomatic persons.
OSF Care Station, OSF PromptCare and OSF OnCall Urgent Care locations will continue to serve the needs of persons experiencing symptoms associated with COVID-19. To learn more or schedule a test online, visit osfhealthcare.org/testing.
“Right now all across the nation, we’re seeing a huge surge in COVID-19 cases. We are equipped to handle COVID testing for patients who are sick, injured or who are preparing for a procedure but our patient volume is currently so great that we need the public’s cooperation to ensure proper usage of our health care resources.”
Dr. Cruz noted a variety of options exist for people who seek to travel, return to work or otherwise need to be tested, including community testing sites, at-home kits and retail pharmacy locations. He stressed that emergency departments at hospitals should be reserved for true medical emergencies and not used as a means to achieve a COVID-19 test result by asymptomatic persons.
OSF Care Station, OSF PromptCare and OSF OnCall Urgent Care locations will continue to serve the needs of persons experiencing symptoms associated with COVID-19. To learn more or schedule a test online, visit osfhealthcare.org/testing.
OSF HealthCare is an integrated health system owned and operated by The Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis, headquartered in Peoria, Illinois. OSF HealthCare employs nearly 24,000 Mission Partners in 150 locations, including 15 hospitals – ten acute care, five critical access – with 2,089 licensed beds, and two colleges of nursing throughout Illinois and Michigan. The OSF HealthCare physician network employs more than 1,500 primary care, specialist and advanced practice providers. OSF HealthCare, through OSF Home Care Services, operates an extensive network of home health and hospice services. It also owns Pointcore, Inc., comprised of health care-related businesses; OSF HealthCare Foundation, the philanthropic arm for the organization; and OSF Ventures, which provides investment capital for promising health care innovation startups. More at https://www.osfhealthcare.org.