HOLLAND, Mich — Holland Hospital announced Friday that its drive-thru COVID-19 testing clinic will be permanently closing July 3, citing a continued drop in positive COVID-19 cases in the area.
"We decided at this time for us to reevaluate our focus, to look at [our hospital's] needs and resources and continue to focus on the patients at our hospital," said Performance Improvement Manager Kara Heck.
Holland Hospital opened the testing location at 175 S. Waverly Road on March 17 for patients referred through a screening hotline. More than 500 prospective patients called the number within a couple days.
The decision to close the site is due to the continuing decline in positive COVID-19 cases in our service area and the reopening of all Holland Hospital services and locations, the hospital said in a statement.
"We have utilized over 25 different departments worth of staff to come out and cover the testing center and hotline," Heck said. "As our business starts to increase at the hospital, we need to be able to utilize the resources back in the department where they started from."
Ottawa County has not reported more than 20 daily coronavirus cases since May 28. As of June 25, there are 996 total cases in the county and 51 deaths.
"We've talked to over 7,000 community members on our hotline [and] tested over 6,000 patients through our testing center," Heck said. The clinic recorded 403 positive cases since March 17, according to Vice President Rob Schwartz.
COVID-19 screening stations will remain in place at hospital entrances as well as at all outpatient service locations.
"We will continue testing certain high-risk patients for COVID-19 before surgeries and procedures as part of our pre-admission testing process," the statement said.
The hospital's COVID-19 screening hotline will remain open as an automated service. It can be reached at 616-394-2080 and will continue to provide residents with resources and information.
Patients seeking routine medical attention at Holland Hospital's Emergency Department or Urgent Care, who exhibit signs and symptoms of COVID-19, can still get tested if the health care professional treating them deems it necessary or appropriate.
If you are looking for a testing location near you, check out the state's COVID-19 test finder at michigan.gov/coronavirus.
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