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St. Lawrence Health System (SLHS) running Rheonix COVID-19 fast testing equipment

Posted 1/6/21

POTSDAM — St. Lawrence Health System (SLHS) is currently running six Rheonix COVID-19 fast testing equipment to test for COVID-19, and they expect to receive and deploy another seven. To date, …

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St. Lawrence Health System (SLHS) running Rheonix COVID-19 fast testing equipment

Posted

POTSDAM — St. Lawrence Health System (SLHS) is currently running six Rheonix COVID-19 fast testing equipment to test for COVID-19, and they expect to receive and deploy another seven.

To date, Canton-Potsdam Hospital (CPH) has four Rheonix devices. Gouverneur and Massena hospitals each have one. SLHS has six more devices on order, and will be receiving an additional device from St. Lawrence County.

“The seven new instruments will be placed wherever they are needed throughout the system,” CPH Administrative Laboratory Director Karen Cox said in a news release. “These additional instruments will allow us to double the capacity for the surge in testing we are likely to see.”

It takes about five hours for a batch of tests to be completed. When all instruments are operational, hundreds of tests can be processed each day across SLHS’s three hospitals. Previously, the system’s hospitals had to send their tests outside of the organization to be processed.

Although the new instruments are fast, they still use the “gold-standard” method of checking for COVID-19, which is called a PCR test. In contrast, the majority of rapid tests available to the public rely on antigen testing or less sensitive molecular testing methods, which are known to have poor accuracy with a high percentage of false-negative results. The Rheonix systems allow SLHS to continue to provide highly accurate and reliable testing much faster than was previously available.

“It is our goal to provide all our testing in-house, and it’s our end-goal to serve the community by expanding our testing capacity,” Cox said. “Having these devices is a real game changer for testing of the general public.”

“We are excited to be able to offer this testing in St. Lawrence Country,” said CPH Director of Laboratory Services Dr. Spurgeon Smith.

The nasopharyngeal specimens coming to SLHS for processing are from patients going to the system’s testing centers, current hospitalized patients, nursing homes, offices, schools, colleges, or businesses.

Testing for COVID-19 is done through local hospital systems. Testing is by appointment only.

Call the hotline numbers below between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. if you have symptoms, you are an essential worker or feel you should be tested:

• St. Lawrence Health System, 315-261-6240;

• Claxton Hepburn Medical Center, 315-713-6655;

• Clifton-Fine Hospital, 315-848-8049;

• Community Health Center of the North Country (Canton), 315-379-8132.

For more information on how SLHS is battling COVID-19, visit https://www.stlawrencehealthsystem.org/covid-19.