COVID-19 Testing is Available in Buckhannon and Upshur County

March 30, 2020

BUCKHANNON, WV: Although a map reported on recently by some local news outlets does not show a testing site in Upshur County, we wish to assure our residents that testing is indeed available in our community, both at WVU St. Joseph’s Hospital and Community Care of West Virginia.  

Those who are experiencing symptoms such as a fever, cough, or shortness of breath, as well as those who have a known exposure to a diagnosed case of COVID-19, should promptly call the Nurse Triage Line at St. Joseph’s Hospital (304-473-2161) or the Community Care of West Virginia (304-471-2240 or 304-924-6262) before arriving at either facility.  The medical providers will direct you to the proper area at their facility for testing.

According to Skip Gjolberg, CEO of St. Joseph’s Hospital, “We are definitely doing COVID testing at STJ…”.  For any COVID test within the WVU Medicine system, you need a physician order, this includes any drive-through testing.  You can call your primary care provider and, if you meet the criteria, your physician will put an order in for you.  Mr. Gjolberg went on to say, “If you do not get an order this way you will be screened by a provider at the hospital and, again, if you meet the criteria, will get an order for a COVID-19 test that way.  So the only real difference is you have to get out of your car at STJ right now.”

Rick Simon, CEO of Community Care of West Virginia in Rock Cave stated, “We are doing testing and CCWV has tested 60 so far.”  He also reported,  “The results take 5-7 days to return.  As with most sites in WV, our supplies are limited and are targeted to those who meet CDC guidelines.  We are seeing several folks with respiratory symptoms but most test positive for type A influenza and thus according to guidelines are not tested.”  

For more information about COVID-19 response measures in our community, please visit www. buckhannonwv.org/covid-19

St. Joseph’s Hospital of WVU Medicine COVID-19 Fact Sheet with Nurse Triage Line for testing (second page, bottom right):