Newsroom

Saturday Appointments Now Available at COVID-19 Assessment Centre

March 22, 2021

The Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance’s (HPHA) COVID-19 Assessment Centre, located at the Stratford Rotary Complex, is extending its hours of operation to include Saturdays beginning March 27, 2021. Appointments on Saturdays will be available between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

“Our Team has been proud to administer over 25,000 COVID-19 tests since the opening of the Assessment Centre and is continually looking at ways to improve accessibility and timeliness,” says Jennifer Rascao, Director Patient Care. “By operating on Saturdays we can accomplish both of these goals and it will be particularly beneficial to those requiring faster access and turn-around for employment and schooling purposes.”

If you are a resident of Huron or Perth and are worried you have COVID-19 or have been exposed to it, you are encouraged to continue to use the Virtual Assessment Model that has been created which involves completing the province’s online assessment .
If indicated, call your family doctor to be assessed and sent for testing. Those without a family doctor can call Huron Perth Public Health at 1-888-221-2133 ext. 3267. If you are a candidate for testing, you will be referred to an Assessment Centre.

You can also get tested at Assessment Centres if you are not showing symptoms and:

• Your public health unit or the COVID Alert app notifies you that you have been exposed to a confirmed case of the virus.
• You live or work in a setting that has a COVID-19 outbreak, as identified by your local public health unit.
• You belong to a specific group outlined in guidance from the Chief Medical Officer of Health, such as workers or visitors of long term-care homes, farm workers, etc. Please refer to the Ontario Government’s website for the latest groups being targeted.

If you are referred to HPHA’s Assessment Centre, the following helpful tips are recommended:

• Use the online booking tool to book your appointment. It’s quick, easy to use, and means you won’t have to wait on hold to speak to someone. 
• If you don’t have access to a smartphone or computer, appointments may also be requested by phone at 519-272-8210 ext. 2747.
• Please don’t duplicate your booking efforts. There is no need to call if you’ve already completed an online booking and vice versa. Duplication can slow down assessment centre staff in responding to calls and booking appointments.
• Please remember that appointments are required. We cannot accommodate walk-ins.
• If your plans change, please reschedule or cancel your appointment so that other people can get tested.
• If you are very ill and in need of immediate care, you should go to your nearest Emergency Department or call 9-1-1.

Things to know when attending a booked appointment at the HPHA COVID-19 Assessment Centre:

• Enter the Stratford Rotary Complex at the Community Hall Entrance and follow the signs to Hall D where the Assessment Centre is located.
• Please follow all precautions including wearing a mask, physical distancing and frequent hand hygiene. Please note, once you enter the Assessment Centre, you will be asked to remove your personal mask and will be provided with and must wear a disposable medical grade mask.
• The time of your appointment is the time you should arrive at the Assessment Centre. Your test should be completed within approximately 15 minutes of your scheduled arrival time.