POTSDAM -- St. Lawrence Health System has established four COVID-19 testing centers that are available to county residents by appointment.

Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center in Ogdensburg also operates their own testing site there.

Testing is for people who have had a known contact with a COVID-19 positive person, are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 (including fever, cough, shortness of breath, unexplained severe fatigue, or loss of taste or smell), and patients with referrals from the Department of Health.

St. Lawrence Health System has established a hotline for people to call to make an appointment. The Hotline is 315-261-6240, and is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Area residents may also call the St. Lawrence County Department of Health at 315-229-3448 to inquire about an appointment.

“All of our staff at the test centers have been thoroughly trained in the safe collection of swabs and are following tight protocols to ensure every safety measure is in place. It’s equally important for those arriving at a testing center to follow the identified rules and next steps to ensure everyone’s safety,” Dr. Ashley Grimshaw said in a prepared statement from SLHS.

“We are prepared and available to care for our community and we strongly encourage anyone who feels they have symptoms related to COVID-19 to please call the SLHS Hotline or the Department of Health. It’s important that we identify and provide appropriate next steps to those individuals who are COVID positive,” Grimshaw said.

When an appointment for testing has been established, patients will be instructed to abide by some rules.

You must arrive in a personal vehicle. Due to the increased risk of contamination, as well as current shortages of personal protective equipment, walk-ups are not permitted at this time.

Each person to be tested must be seated next to a working window.

Limit vehicle passengers to those needing a test.

Have a photo ID for all persons registered for testing that includes name and date of birth (can be New York driver's license, state-issued ID, or passport).

Bring tissues and a washcloth or towel.

Patients will be required to provide their full name, current address, and the best phone number to reach them with your test results.

When arriving at the testing site, patients are asked to remain in their vehicle.

Upon arrival, patients should call the number provided when they made the appointment.

A health care provider in personal protective gear will come to the vehicle and provide instructions.

Patients will be asked to blow their nose using the tissue brought to them. They will need to dispose of the tissue on their own.

A soft swab will be inserted deep into the nose to get the necessary sample. This may be slightly uncomfortable, but the test is quick and should take less than a minute.

Test results are not immediate; it may take a few days. After the test, patients will be given information/instructions to take with them while you await the results.

Test results will be provided via the telephone number given at the time of pre-screening.

Directional signage has been installed at the four locations to help individuals navigate to and through each testing center site.

Anyone experiencing a medical emergency should dial 911 immediately.

St. Lawrence Health System Testing Center information, and links to other COVID-19 initiatives, may be found at https://www.stlawrencehealthsystem.org/covid-19/testing-centers.

Help keep St. Lawrence County informed

Until now, advertising has provided the income to pay our news staff. But with a cutback in advertising due to the COVID-19 crisis, our ability to continue free news coverage is threatened.  Please donate to NorthCountryNow.com and North Country This Week so we can keep St. Lawrence County informed.  Thank you.