Niagara Health’s second dedicated COVID-19 Assessment Centre is now open at the St. Catharines site. The Assessment Centres in St. Catharines and Niagara Falls are available by referral only. Those who believe they have been exposed to COVID-19 can contact Public Health at 905-688-8248 ext. 7019 or toll free at 1-888-505-6074 for an initial screening. Based on that assessment, patients may be referred to the Assessment Centre. Staff at the centre will contact referred patients directly to arrange an appointment.

Derek McNally, Executive Vice-President Clinical Services and Chief Nursing Executive for Niagara Health, says getting the referral from Public Health is key. “Anyone needing emergency care should call 911 or come to the Emergency Department. Otherwise, we recommend patients begin by consulting the Ministry of Health’s COVID-19 self-assessment tool and then contacting Public Health for an initial screening,” said McNally.

The Assessment Centre will be located behind the Walker Family Cancer Centre at rear of the St. Catharines Site at 1200 Fourth Ave. The centre will have a separate entrance to limit the potential exposure of COVID-19 to patients in the Emergency Department. There will be signage directing patients to the centre and parking.

Niagara Health would like to remind referred patients that the no-visitor policy also applies to the Assessment Centres, subject to limited exceptions. We appreciate the public’s support of this policy as we work to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

The government’s COVID-19 self-assessment tool can be found here.

Media contact:
Brett Sweeney
Manager of Communications, Niagara Health
905-378-4647, ext. 43874
brett.sweeney@niagarahealth.on.ca