NEWS RELEASE
STEVENSON MEMORIAL HOSPITAL
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The COVID-19 Assessment Centre at Stevenson Memorial Hospital (SMH) will be closed on Monday to prepare for the new directives released by the Ministry of Health.
The Ministry of Health released a directive stating that as of Oct. 6, 2020, all COVID-19 Assessment Centres will transition to an appointment-based model with walk-in services being discontinued as of Oct. 4, 2020.
“It is with careful consideration that we close our Assessment Centre on Monday to align with the Ministry’s directives,” says Jody Levac, President and CEO. “We are doing everything we can to expedite the implementation of a new appointment-based system so that we can get back to serving the community at our COVID-19 Assessment Centre,” he adds.
SMH will be implementing an appointment-based model where patients will be required to call in and book an appointment ahead of time. More information on this new model will be shared in the coming days.
“We look forward to offering the community the appointment-based system that will eliminate the need to wait for long periods of time, reducing traffic volume as well,” adds Levac.
Although the Centre will be closed temporarily, the hospital encourages the public to follow local public health guidelines on preventing the spread of COVID-19 and new testing criteria as released by the Ministry of Health.
Alternatively, the public can make an appointment at one of the other Assessment Centres or pharmacies already operating under an appointment-based system or wait for further information about how to book an appointment locally.
Please note that you should only go to the Emergency Department related to COVID-19 if you are experiencing:
severe difficulty breathing (struggling for each breath, can only speak in single words)
severe chest pain (constant tightness or crushing sensation)
feeling confused or unsure of where you are
losing consciousness
The Ministry of Health has also released a COVID-19 Screening Tool for Children that will help parents determine if their child needs testing based on symptoms.
For more information about SMH’s COVID-19 Assessment Centre, please visit its website.
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