4-24-20 expanded covid-19 testing in fdl county

As COVID-19 testing becomes more available and aligning with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services
recommendations, providers at Agnesian HealthCare, a member of SSM Health, are expanding testing to
patients experiencing minor COVID-19 symptoms. This increase in testing will help clinicians and public health
understand how COVID-19 is circulating in our community.
Through these recommendations, the DHS is trying to accomplish the following:
 Hoping to prevent future waves of infection, widespread testing, coupled with high-intensity contact tracing,
isolation and quarantine will require close partnership between clinicians and local public health.
 Health care providers are encouraged to obtain COVID-19 testing for all who are symptomatic, even patients
with mild symptoms. This serves an important public health purpose in the next phase of Wisconsin’s
COVID-19 response, which will require aggressive efforts for finding and isolating cases in the community.
 Current volume of COVID-19 testing being done is Wisconsin is substantially lower than the overall capacity,
which likely reflects prioritization of testing for hospitalized patients during the early phase of the epidemic.
 Overall laboratory capacity can support testing of many patients in outpatient settings who have symptoms
suggestive of COVID-19, and there are important public health reasons for doing so.
Fond du Lac County residents experiencing COVID-19 symptoms should call (844) 225-0147 to determine next
steps. In addition, SSM Health is offering a FREE virtual screening tool at ssmhealth.com/Covid19. This will involve
an online screening survey, which will be reviewed by a provider who will make a testing decision or other diagnosis
and provide a course of treatment. If a test is needed, they will direct individuals to the nearest testing location.