Press Release:
Unity Medical Center’s top priority is always providing the best care for our patients and community. The staff at Unity is working tirelessly to ensure that each of our patients receives the appropriate care. To ensure that Unity can provide necessary care to our community, we would like to address issues and processes regarding testing for COVID-19.
Unity does have test kits although the supply has been and continues to be limited. We have requested additional test kits and are waiting for them to be supplied. Unity is closely following guidelines set by the CDC and the Tennessee Department of Health. According to most recent CDC reports most patients with confirmed COVID-19 have developed fever and/or symptoms of acute respiratory illness (e.g., cough, difficulty breathing).
As of today, Unity has tested 33 patients that met the guidelines for COVID-19 and has received ten of those test results; all 10 have been reported as NEGATIVE. Currently, labs are behind 7-12 days in reporting results. Although they are working to catch up, it is a difficult task. As healthcare providers around the country receive additional test kits, more tests are performed, the labs receive larger numbers of samples, and the labs work diligently to reduce the turnaround time. Below are the guidelines followed by Unity Medical Center
The CDC and Tennessee Department of Health have issued criteria that must be met before Unity can test a patient for COVID-19. The criteria are:
Symptoms:
Fever, Cough and/or Difficulty Breathing
Priority 1:
Hospitalized patients with symptoms
Symptomatic healthcare workers
Priority 2:
Patients in long-term care facilities with symptoms
Patient 65 years of age and older with symptoms
Patients with underlying conditions with symptoms
First responders with symptoms
Priority 3:
Critical infrastructure workers with symptoms
Individuals who do not meet any of the above categories with symptoms
Health care workers and first responders
Individuals with mild symptoms in communities experiencing high COVID-19 hospitalizations
If you believe that you or a family member needs to be tested, please CALL your primary care provider or CALL Unity at 931-450-1730. Patients seeking testing should not walk into a medical clinic or the hospital per CDC guidelines. If your primary care provider orders a COVID-19 test, please CALL Unity at 931-450-1765 to schedule it. Everyone scheduled for a test will be given specific instructions of exactly how to proceed since CDC guidelines limit patients from entering a hospital for a test. Unity has set up a safe and effective process to test patients that meet state and federal recommendations.
We know that this is a difficult and scary time for a lot of people, and we understand your concerns regarding your health and the health of your loved ones. Please rest assured that we at Unity are doing everything we can to provide safe and effective care for you. We appreciate all the support we have received from this amazing community and thank you for understanding the position all hospitals are in during this time. We would also like to thank our dedicated staff of employees working on the front lines as we confront this novel disease. We will continue to provide updates pertaining to COVID-19 and our testing capabilities until this subsides.
Until then… Stay safe. Stay healthy. Practice social distancing.
