Good afternoon!
One of the challenges WCHD is working on is access to COVID-19 testing and understanding where there is potential to improve access. We need a community-wide solution to increase testing availability and accessibility.
We are reaching out to make sure that our local healthcare providers understand the testing limitations available outside your own health system. Community members contact us daily saying
they have been referred to local public health for testing.
The health department will suggest a symptomatic person who is looking for testing start with their primary care provider. Sometimes, that person is referred back to public health by healthcare facilities. This can be very frustrating for community members. We all want to work together to serve our community well.
At this time, we do NOT have asymptomatic testing available in Winnebago County and based on the newly released state testing framework (more info below), we are unlikely to see asymptomatic testing become widely available in the near future. There is limited community testing available at Advocate Aurora Health in Oshkosh for residents who have at least one symptom. You can see additional community testing sites available outside the county
here
.
We regularly update our
website
with any community testing opportunities and as the testing landscape changes, we will send updates. Together we can work toward a healthier community.
If your organization is interested in collaborating with the health department on improving testing in Winnebago County, please email David Zerbe at
[email protected]
.