Kids COVID-19 assessment centre leaving Brewer Park Arena for CHEO
Orlans test clinic transitioning to a drive-up model at new site
Children looking to be tested for COVID-19who would have gone to the Brewer Park Arena are being directedto CHEO, eastern Ontario's children's hospital in Ottawa, starting Thursday.
Also moving to CHEO is the Kids Come First care clinic, which sees kids for acute illness. Those with appointments should use the main entrance on 401 Smyth Rd. and the screening team will provide further directions, the hospital said in a tweet.
The COVID-19 assessment centre for adults at Brewer is still operating.
The children's hospital teamprocessed 185,000 swabs and managed 6,000 care appointments at the central Ottawaarena,according to CHEO CEO Alex Munter. Itwas one of the first testing sites in the provincewhen it opened March 13, 2020.
Munter said in a tweetthe reason for the move now is that fewer children areeligible for PCR testing.
A fond farewell as @CHEO Team Brewer hosts their last huddle in the arena. Laughs, awards, a song & a COVID piata! Over two years this team delivered for #Ottawa with over 180,000 swabs done with care & compassion. Special thanks to several generations of leaders & Dr Ken Farion pic.twitter.com/gkMWjc03Qr
—@TammyCHEO
COVID-19 testing is also changing this week in the eastern Ottawa community ofOrlans: the site at the Ray Friel Recreation Complex closed Tuesday.
It reopens Friday as a drive-up test siteat the Orlans Health Hub at 2225 Mer-Bleue Rd. People who are able will get a test kit, swab themselves and give the kit to the lab.
Support will be available for people who can't swab themselves.