Page 2 - Florida Sentinel 3-27-20

Local
Residents With COVID-19 Symptoms Can Call Hills. Cty. Information Line
Hillsborough County has established an information line for residents experiencing symptoms associated with COVID-19 Coronavirus. Those residents are encouraged to call (813) 272-5900, Hillsbor- ough County’s main informa- tion line, beginning at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, March 24.
Call center representatives will ask residents a series of questions regarding their cur- rent medical condition, recent travel history and who they have been in contact with over the past two weeks to deter- mine if a test is warranted.
Callers who are determined to require testing for COVID- 19 will be sent a confirmation by email with their scheduled date and time. They must PRINT and take their confir- mation to the drive-through testing site at Raymond James Stadium once it is operational.
Residents that are unable to print their confirmation email as provided by the call center may be subject to longer wait times.
To meet the testing cri- teria, individuals must be: • Pre-screened and meet CDC and DOH testing guidelines
• Pre-registered through our call center
Individuals that receive a testing confirmation must bring the following with them to the drive-through commu- nity collections site:
• Proper ID inclusive of name, date of birth and photo (can be ONE of the following):
- Florida driver’s license
- State-issued ID
- Passport
• PRINTED confirmation email from our call center
Testing will be by appoint- ment only.
Staffing for the calls related to COVID-19 pre-screening and pre-registration is ex- pected to be provided week- days between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Persons who do not have a designated primary care physi- cian or who are uninsured that believe they qualify for testing are also eligible to call (813) 272-5900.
Hillsborough County, working with its community partners Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough County, BayCare, Tampa Gen- eral Hospital, Advent Health, HCA Healthcare and the City of Tampa, will augment its nor- mal operations with members of the healthcare community in order to pre-screen and pre- register residents for COVID- 19 testing.
1st Community COVID-19 Collection Site Set Up
The first community col- lection site has been set up in Hillsborough County. It is lo- cated at Raymond James Sta- dium, corner of 4201 N. Dale Mabry Highway.
The site is offering a drive- through COVID-19 Coron- avirus testing site for symptomatic residents. The drive-through testing site will remain operational as long as there is a supply of collection kits available. The testing began on Wednesday. It will be operational Wednesdays through Saturdays, from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. Walk-ups are not permitted at this time.
It was established to help expedite testing for COVID- 19 Coronavirus in sympto- matic patients that have pre-registered through Hills- borough County’s call center.
Pre-Screening and Pre-Registration Are Required:
* Residents may get tested if they have been pre- screened and meet testing guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control and the Florida Department of Health.
* Residents also must be pre-registered through the Hillsborough County Cus- tomer Service Center at (813) 272-5900, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
* Persons who do not have a designated primary care physician or are uninsured are eligible for pre-screening and pre-registration through the call center.
What to Bring:
* You must arrive in a per- sonal vehicle. Due to the in- creased risk of contamination as well as current shortages of personal protective equip- ment, walk-ups are not per- mitted 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 being tested with name, date of birth and photo (can be Florida driver’s li- cense, state-issued ID, or passport).
* Bring a printed copy of the testing confirmation email from the Hillsborough County Customer Service Center. Having this form with you will expedite the process.
* Residents that are un- able to print their confirma- tion number can provide a screen shot on their phone.
* You will be asked to pro- vide the following informa- tion:
1. Full name
2. Current address (where you are staying)
3. Best phone number to reach you in order to receive test results.
What to Expect:
* You will be greeted by a health care provider in per- sonal protective gear who will give you instructions.
* You will be given a tissue to blow your nose. You will need to keep the tissue to dis- pose on your own.
* A soft swab will be in- serted deep into your nose to get the necessary sample. This may be slightly uncom- fortable, but the test is quick and should take less than a minute.
* Test results are not im- mediate. It may take several days. After the test, you will be given information on what to do while you await the re- sults.
* You will receive test re- sults via the telephone num- ber you gave at the time of pre-screening.
Persons who are experi- encing a medical emergency should dial 9-1-1 immedi- ately.
PAGE 2-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, MARCH 27, 2020