Ochsner Health is a system that delivers health to the people of Louisiana, Mississippi and the Gulf South with a mission to Serve, Heal, Lead, Educate and Innovate.
NEW ORLEANS – Ochsner Health has surpassed 100,000 statewide COVID-19 community tests. The milestone was achieved yesterday, October 7, at a community testing site. Ochsner continues to offer COVID-19 testing in communities across Louisiana, in partnership with state and local leaders.
In the last weeks of April and near the start of the Louisiana’s Phase One COVID-19 response, Ochsner Health recognized the need to quickly and efficiently test members of the community for COVID-19 to identify hotspots and outbreaks so that mitigation measures could be immediately employed.
Ochsner is proud to work together with Gov. John Bel Edwards and his coronavirus task force, local governments, community partners, congregate living, churches and civic organizations to make this a reality. Ochsner has administered more than 100,000 COVID-19 tests in just five months at more than 200 testing locations across the state.
“In late spring, once the curve began to flatten and we were near the end of the initial wave of COVID-19 outbreaks in the New Orleans area, we knew it was necessary to work together to bring testing opportunities to our communities,” said Yvens Laborde, MD, medical director of global education, Ochsner Health. “We continue to have some of the highest per-capita testing rates in the country and continued access to this resource remains a critical component of safely reopening. This remarkable investment from Ochsner and our partners is true to our mission to serve, heal, lead, educate and innovate on behalf of the communities we serve. I would also like to recognize the hundreds of Ochsner Health employees who have been redeployed at sites near and far to make this milestone a reality. We remain committed to continuing testing efforts for as long as necessary.”
COVID-19 Testing at Ochsner
Since the beginning of this crisis, COVID-19 testing remained one of the most critical tools for healthcare providers and care teams. Test rates in Louisiana are among the highest in the United States. Broad COVID-19 testing helps researchers and healthcare professionals learn more about COVID-19 prevalence to help make data-driven and informed decisions in the future for Ochsner employees, patients and the community. This spring, Ochsner was the first in the state to develop in-house testing capabilities. Ochsner’s laboratories in New Orleans and Shreveport can run up to 23,290 COVID-19 tests per week.
Ochsner continues to offer COVID-19 tests to the community each week across the state to any person age 2 years and older who wish to know their status. Those who wish to be tested should bring an ID and insurance card, if applicable. There are no out-of-pocket costs for those seeking a test and no one will be turned away based on their insurance status. Community members will receive test results via MyChart patient portal or by phone. Those who test positive will have the opportunity to participate in Ochsner’s 14-day symptom tracker program designed for COVID-19 patients who do not require hospital care. Participants receive daily text messages to monitor symptoms and can be connected to our 24/7 nurse on-call line for additional support.
In addition to offering community testing, Ochsner has the following resources available:
For more information about Ochsner’s community testing resources, including a list of locations, please visit www.ochsner.org/testing.
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About Ochsner Health
Ochsner Health is a system that delivers health to the people of Louisiana, Mississippi and the Gulf South with a mission to Serve, Heal, Lead, Educate and Innovate. Ochsner Health is a not-for-profit committed to giving back to the communities it serves through preventative screenings, health and wellness resources and partnerships with innovative organizations that share our vision. Ochsner Health healed more than 876,000 people from across the globe in 2019, providing the latest medical breakthroughs and therapies, including digital medicine for chronic conditions and telehealth specialty services. Ochsner Health is a national leader, named the top hospital in Louisiana and a top children’s hospital by U.S. News & World Report. As Louisiana’s leading healthcare educator, Ochsner Health and its partners educate thousands of healthcare professionals annually. Ochsner Health is innovating healthcare by investing in new technologies and research to make world-class care more accessible, affordable, convenient and effective. Ochsner's team of more than 26,000 employees and 4,500 providers are working to reinvent the future of health and wellness in the region. To learn more about Ochsner Health, please visit www.ochsner.org. To transform your health, please visit www.ochsner.org/healthyyou.