Flags fly at half staff: COVID-19 testing & assistance available

Published 12:05 am Saturday, April 11, 2020

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LAPLACE — Flags in St. John the Baptist Parish are flying at half-staff to honor the lives of friends, family and neighbors who have died in recent weeks from the COVID-19 outbreak.

There have been 507 reported cases of COVID-19 and 37 deaths in St. John Parish as of the Friday update from the Louisiana Department of Health. At least a dozen deaths have come from a cluster at the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Home in Reserve.

As of Friday at noon, St. Charles Parish had 376 reported cases and 23 deaths, while St. James had 194 reported cases and nine deaths. Statewide, the Louisiana Department of Health reported 19,253 confirmed cases of COVID-19 across 63 parishes. This marks an increase of 970 cases since Thursday’s report.

Testing

The number of reported cases in St. John Parish is expected to rise with the addition of COVID-19 testing sites throughout the parish.

According to St. John Parish communications, COVID-19 testing will be offered on the West Bank from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, April 14, and from 8 a.m. to noon Friday, April 17. The testing location is the Teche Action Clinic at 159 East Third Street in Edgard.

Testing is available for residents experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 such as fever, cough and shortness of breath. Appointments are not necessary, and insurance is not required. Please call 985-497-8726 upon arrival, and a staff member will come to your vehicle.

On the East Bank, drive-thru COVID-19 testing is offered three days a week, Tuesday through Thursday, for residents who are symptomatic. Drive-thru testing will be administered from 9 a.m. to noon, or until the day’s allotted tests have been administered, at the Ochsner Medical Complex – River Parishes at 1900 W. Airline Highway in LaPlace.

Residents should enter the drive-thru testing location through the rear entrance of the Ochsner Medical Complex – River Parishes parking lot, and patients must remain in their vehicles for testing. An Ochsner provider will contact the patient with the results once they become available.

Testing is limited and available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Residents must be 18 years or older and provide a valid state ID or driver’s license to prove they live in St. John Parish.

Parish President Jaclyn Hotard said drive-thru testing went off without a hitch.

“It ran very smoothly. People didn’t have to get out of their cars,” Hotard said. “The calls that we got were very complimentary. For the residents, I think it provided a little bit of comfort knowing how easy it was.”

The turnaround time to receive completed tests is about 24 to 36 hours, according to Hotard. When accounting for time to the test to arrive at the lab, the time frame from a patient pulling up to the site and getting the phone call with their results could be three to four days.

Hotard recommends that those experiencing COVID-19 symptoms get tested, even if they do not have an underlying health condition. Test results can let the individual know what steps to take to protect loved ones and limit community spread of the virus.

While drive-thru testing kits are limited, St. John Parish residents who have received a physician’s order for COVID-19 testing will have a scheduled appointment from 1 to 4 p.m. at Ochsner Medical Complex – River Parishes. A state ID or driver’s license will also be required.

Before going to an emergency department, clinic or drive-thru testing site, please call the free Ochsner information line at 844-888-2772 for 24/7 advice and COVID-19 information. Established Ochsner patients can schedule a video visit via MyOchsner, while new patients can see a provider over video through ochsner.org/virtualvisits via the Ochsner Anywhere Care app.

An additional testing location is opening at the LaPlace Walmart located at 1616 W. Airline Highway. On Thursday afternoon, residents observed barricades, signs, traffic cones and mobile units go up in the Walmart parking lot near the auto center, which remains closed to the public at this time. The testing site is separated by barricades from the public Walmart entrance for grocery shopping.

A Walmart representative confirmed to L’OBSERVATEUR that a fever is required to receive testing at this site.

Further Assistance

The Emergency Assistance Program offered by the St. John Department of Health and Human Services temporarily sustains families in crisis by providing immediate needs.

Services offered include assistance for energy and gas, food, medical prescriptions, education, employment and residential fires.

The head of household must complete an application and triage process that includes the family’s financial information. This includes recent copies of utility bills, proof of current gross income, applicable termination/disconnect notices from utilities companies, proof of residency, proof of the number of people living in the household, social security cards and proof of U.S. citizenship.

For more information, call 985-536-4955.