Free testing site opens to take to the strain off of emergency room

BRUNSWICK COUNTY (WWAY) — A COVID-19 testing site in Brunswick County has the ability to test hundreds a day, but isn’t seeing much activity.

Just last month, Brunswick County reported a 500 percent increase in COVID-19 cases. The site, opened by Ottendorf Laboratories beside Novant Health Medical Center in Bolivia opened two weeks ago in response to a high number of people showing up in the emergency room to get tested.

“We were seeing close to 100 patients being tested, just coming to seek testing,” said Novant Health’s Becky Whiteside. “Asymptomatic, exposed, or just travel testing in the community. So this is really, was creating a burden on the hospital emergency department.”

Novant officials said the demand earlier in the pandemic brought more than 100 people a day to emergency rooms and more than 250 a day in their offices for tests.

But since it’s opening, healthcare workers have only seen around 12 patients a day. Tiffanee Hardaway is a site tester, and hopes the community knows the Novant site is walk up, and takes only three to five minutes.

“It was miles out that you had to travel in order to get a test anywhere. They weren’t available,” said Hardaway. “So, it’s available right here. It’s a couple minutes, you don’t have to stress about it, because I know it can be a stresser to not be able to get that test you need to be able to get next to that loved one that you would like to be next to.”

The site is open 10 hours a day seven days a week, but Novant says some people are still showing up to the emergency room for tests. Whiteside hopes this addition will take some strain off its healthcare workers.

“It has definitely taken a weight off,” she said. “We are seeing that pull from our numbers. We have seen some community decline as well. So, I think both of those are playing into it.”

The site is open 8-6pm Monday through Saturday and 8-7pm Sundays.