Sparta Area Chamber of Commerce Newsletter June 2020 Sparta Ambassador | Page 17

17 - The Sparta Ambassador -June 2020
Mayo Clinic Health System in Sparta provides local COVID-19 testing;
patients must be prescreened before arrival
SPARTA, Wis. — Mayo Clinic Health System offers COVID-19 testing at its location in Sparta, Wis. Monday through
Friday from noon to 4 p.m. The testing site is located under the former emergency room canopy behind the hospital building
along K Street.
Patients must call the Mayo Clinic Health System nurse triage line to be screened before coming to the testing site. Mayo
Clinic Health System is also working with county health departments and other healthcare facilities if a patient who fits the
criteria needs to be tested.
“We ask that patients who are concerned about symptoms consistent with COVID-19 contact to contact their clinic, their
provider, or contact the Mayo Clinic Nurse Triage line for appropriate screening. If needed they will be referred appropriately
to the testing center for testing,” says Kevin Fitzgerald, M.D., Family Medicine chair, Mayo Clinic Health System. “Providing
this dedicated testing location away from other clinical spaces will help limit possible exposures for staff, patients
and visitors in other patient-care areas.”
Patients experiencing symptoms should take the following steps:
• Call their primary care clinic/provider/Mayo Clinic Health System nurse triage line for a phone screening.
• Those who are not a Mayo Clinic Health System patient may call the number below and say they would like to
be screened for COVID-19. Staff will help register the patient into our system.
• Please call the Mayo Clinic Health System in Sparta at 608-269-1770 to begin your screening process.
• Those who meet the criteria for testing will be directed to the drive-through location.
• At the drive-through location, Mayo Clinic Health System staff will collect specimens using appropriate precautions.
• Specimens will then be sent to Mayo Clinic in Rochester for analysis, with results expected in 24 to 48 hours.
• Patients will be advised of next steps. To receive your results in a timely manner, you can set up a Patient Online Services
account on the Mayo Clinic Health System website or through an app on their phone.
Mayo Clinic Health System wants patients to know first and foremost that it is safe to be seen at our facilities. We continue
to coordinate with local and regional partners to take the necessary precautions for the safety of patients, staff and the community.
Mayo Clinic Health System consists of clinics, hospitals and other facilities that serve the health care needs of people in
Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin. The community-based providers, paired with the resources and expertise of Mayo Clinic,
enable patients in the region to receive highest-quality physical and virtual health care close to home.