As emergency rooms, urgent care facilities and doctors’ offices continue to accommodate the increasingly growing volume, Rochester Regional Health is taking steps to help reduce that strain and help local children get faster access to COVID-19 testing.
On October 20, Rochester Regional Health announced its new pediatric COVID-19 testing program, designed to direct children who need COVID-19 testing to locations specially outfitted to provide testing quickly, safely and accurately.
“More children than ever need these tests,” explained Steven Schulz, MD, medical director of Rochester Regional Health Pediatrics in Monroe County. “By offering these testing sites, kids can get the test they need faster while helping our emergency departments, urgent cares and doctors’ offices have greater capacity to care for those experiencing more serious illness or injury.”
Children who have pediatricians employed by or affiliated with Rochester Regional Health are eligible for this program.
The first pediatric COVID-19 testing location opened last week in the Wilson Medical Building, located on the Rochester General Hospital Campus. On October 21, the health system opened a second location – previously Rochester Regional Health Immediate Care in North Greece – at 470 Long Pond Road. The hours for both locations are Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
If your child receives care from an RRH-employed or affiliated pediatrician, and you think they need to be tested for COVID-19, call your pediatrician and ask for a referral. All testing is done by appointment. These locations are not able to accommodate walk-ins or patients who are not enrolled with Rochester Regional Health for primary care.
Currently, the program can deliver test results in 24 to 48 hours, helping children get the results they need sooner. They are using the PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test – the accepted test to determine if a child can return to school.
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