The Municipality of North Grenville says beginning tomorrow (September 24th) North Grenville residents will have access to a community-based COVID-19 Assessment Centre.
The assessment centre will be at Bell Hall on the Kemptville Campus. It will be open Monday to Friday from 7am to 3pm.
Testing for COVID-19 will be done on people over two-years-old with COVID-19 symptoms and/or close contact with a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19. Symptoms include cough, fever, and shortness of breath.
The municipality says time-stamped tickets will be given out upon arrival. People are asked to leave the campus until their assigned time window to return.
People looking to be tested enter Kemptville Campus from College Road (off County Road 44) where assessment centre workers will meet them and assign a time window to return. People will be directed off the campus through Curtis Avenue.
When the time window arrives, people are to turn on to Campus Drive (off Concession Road) and park in P3 (off McPhail Street). There will be signs directing traffic.
Assessment centre clients will only be able to enter the campus from Concession Road if they have time-stamped tickets obtained at the College Road entrance. North Grenville says this route has been carefully selected to reduce traffic around the schools at the Kemptville Campus. Additional security will also be on site.
The North Grenville COVID-19 Assessment Centre is a collaboration with the municipality, Rideau Crossing Family Health Centre, Leeds, Lanark and Grenville Health Unit, Leeds Grenville Paramedic Service, and Kemptville District Hospital.
The assessment centre’s Clinical Lead, Doctor Suzanne Rutherford, and family physician at Rideau Crossing Family Health Centre says many of the administrative, nursing and cleaning staff have offered to work on their days off to make this assessment centre a reality.
“As with any new endeavour, we can expect to have hiccups along the way and we ask that our community be patient as we work to create the most efficient and thorough assessment centre possible.”
CEO of Kemptville District Hospital, Frank Vassallo says North Grenville should be proud of this community-based, primary care-driven endeavour.
Medical Officer of Health for the health unit, Doctor Paula Stewart says this is critical to prevent COVID-19 transmission in the community.
“Providing additional testing capacity for our community will allow people who have symptoms, or who have been advised by public health to be tested, an opportunity to do so close to home.”
Mayor Nancy Peckford says Council has been aware of the need of a COVID-19 testing centre in North Grenville.
“We appreciate the patience and collaboration of school board partners, families, students and other campus tenants.”
For more information about the assessment centre, visit North Grenville’s website.