Northern Light Inland hospital staff operate a drive-up coronavirus testing site Sunday at the Faith Evangelical Free Church parking lot on Kennedy Memorial Drive in Waterville. The site will be closed Tuesday and reopen Wednesday as a medical screening site, officials said. Morning Sentinel photo by Michael G. Seamans
WATERVILLE — Northern Light Inland Hospital’s drive-up coronavirus testing location off Kennedy Memorial Drive won’t be open Tuesday following three days of operation, but the hospital plans to reopen it Wednesday as a medical screening site.
“With very limited testing criteria currently in place, we will be expanding the site to include medical screening for respiratory and other illnesses,” said Sara Barry, an Inland spokeswoman, in a statement Monday.
That screening would start Wednesday, from noon to 3 p.m., she said. Testing for COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, would occur “for those with a provider’s lab order, and if they meet the screening and symptoms for current testing,” Barry said, who has pointed out that there are a limited number of testing supplies available.
The site, located at the Faith Evangelical Free Church parking lot at 250 Kennedy Memorial Drive, is among the area’s only outdoor testing locations. It opened for the first time over the weekend and was open again Monday from noon to 3 p.m.
People who want to use the test site need to call Inland’s screening hotline beforehand at 844-489-1822 to get a referral. That’s important for people to do “before stopping in so we can provide the safest, most efficient service to our community,” Barry said.
“The questions asked on this call will help determine next steps for your care, whether it be self-isolating at home, heading to a COVID-19 assessment site, or going to the hospital,” Barry said. “The staff who answer the calls on this hotline will help determine the best next steps to ensure you get the right level of care in the right place.”
Days and hours for Inland’s medical screening site will be subject to change day-to-day, Barry said, so people should check Inland’s Facebook page or website daily for ongoing dates and times.
Inland’s update on the testing site came as the Maine Center for Disease Control announced 107 confirmed coronavirus cases in Maine.
Barry said the hospital is also grateful to the Faith Church and to Waterville police for partnering on the site.
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