By JACK FICHTER/Sentinel staff
Cape Regional Urgent Care in Wildwood, Cape May Court House and Marmora are providing community COVID19 testing. There are no criteria to be tested. Call (609) 465-6364 to schedule an appointment and to discuss insurance coverage and fees.
“You do not have to have symptoms in order to be tested but you do need an appointment,” Susan Staeger, marketing and public relations coordinator, stated.
Cape May County tests
The Cape May County Department of Health and CompleteCare Health Network continue to partner to operating a drive-thru COVID-19 testing site. The drive-thru will be held on consecutive Wednesdays starting April 22, by appointment only. At this time, testing will only be for CompleteCare patients, as well as Cape May County residents, who are sick with symptoms of fever, cough and shortness of breath and that meet a certain criteria. Symptomatic first responders who are residents of the county will also be given priority testing. In order to receive testing, individuals can go to CompleteCareNJ.org/COVID19 or call (609) 465-0258 and request to be screened. Web registration is the best. The process for scheduling an appointment for COVID-19 drive-thru testing is on CompleteCareNJ.org/COVID19.
Residents who are not a CompleteCare patient – obtain a script from your doctor. Once having the script, go to completecarenj.org website. CompleteCare will forward the script to the county Health Department which will call and schedule the appointment. Test results are received in three to four days.
CompleteCare accepts Medicaid, Medicare, as well as private insurance plans and those without insurance. The test will be free of charge and no co-pay will be required for the screening. Translation services are available for those in need.
CompleteCare is not testing patients for COVID-19 at its health centers. Do not go to any CompleteCare location or Cape May County Department of Health for testing.
Physicians are not sending patients to private labs for COVID-19 testing, according to the health department.
Atlantic County testing
Atlantic County is accepting appointments for a drive-thru test dates on Thursday, April 23, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., behind the Hamilton Mall in Mays Landing. Residents must be symptomatic for respiratory illness, provide a doctor’s script, have proof of residency in Atlantic County and confirmation of appointment.
Appointments can be made on the county website at www.aclink.org. Those who are unable to keep their appointment are asked to cancel so someone else can fill their spot.
The county has obtained 600 test kits and plans to secure more as needed, according to Linda Gilmore, Atlantic County public information officer. A total of 150 appointments are available for each testing day, she said.
No other testing locations for Atlantic County were open at press time although Atlantic City was considering two test sites, one drive-thru location and one walk up.
According to a release, the staff at Cape Regional Health System would like to express their sincere thanks and deep appreciation to the Cape May County community for their tremendous support during this COVID19 crisis. Each day they have received donations of all kinds at the Medical Center and our three Urgent Care Centers.
“We are beyond grateful for the outpouring of support from Cape May County residents. On behalf of the entire Cape Regional team, we thank our community for their monetary gifts and donations of iPads, masks, meals and non-perishable items for our food pantry,” Joanne Carrocino, FACHE, President and CEO, Cape Regional Health System stated. “Your support during this health crisis is so encouraging to our entire team of caregivers on the front lines,”
“There are literally dozens and dozens of individuals, businesses, schools, charitable foundations, and our local and county Chambers of Commerce who have rolled up their sleeves in support of our life saving efforts – so to single out one or two or 10 is just not possible,” Staeger stated.
“We have a very long road ahead of us, so we encourage our community to continue to support us through our newly formed COVID19 Relief Fund. This fund provides a simply way to provide a monetary gift that will purchase needed equipment and supplies for our caregivers,” stated Tom Piratzky, CFRE, Executive Director, Cape Regional Foundation.
Cape Regional Health System has opened a community hotline to help provide guidance and to address questions the community may have about COVID19. The number is 1.609.463.CAPE (1-609-463-2273) and is staffed 7 days a week from 8:00 am to 5:30 pm.
Cape Regional has also implemented a telemedicine service that is available to the public to access non-emergent medical care in the safety and convenience of their home. To learn more please visit, www.caperegional.com/cape-regional-ondemand.
The hospital continues to have a need for donations of cloth facemasks from the public. Cape Regional has established a relief fund to purchase priority items for the COVID-19 emergency. Details are available at caperegional.com