Tests Available by Appointment Only
Effingham, IL -(Effingham Radio)- The ability to test more people for COVID-19 is critical in helping to curb the spread of the virus throughout our communities, and with CARES Act government funding for COVID-19 testing, HSHS Medical Group is able to introduce COVID-19 testing at select drive-thru sites until further notice.
Registration through MyChart is required for testing.
If you have any of these symptoms, have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, or need a COVID-19 screening to return to work or school, you can receive a free COVID-19 assessment and testing:
- Cough
- Fever
- Chills
- Repeated shaking with chills
- Muscle pain
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Headache
- Sore throat
- Loss of taste or smell
Those who wish to be tested must schedule an appointment through HSHS Medical Group’s online patient portal, MyChart. You do not have to be an established HSHS Medical Group patient to set up an account on MyChart or to access a free test. MyChart can be accessed at HSHSMGCovidTesting.org or downloaded as an app on Apple or Google Play. It takes just minutes to set up an account, complete a short assessment and register for a test.
Upon registration, MyChart users are able to choose between four different drive-thru testing sites in Decatur, Effingham, O’Fallon and Springfield. Testing sites are a service of HSHS Medical Group and are located off-site from local HSHS hospitals. The testing site in Effingham is located in the parking lot of HSHS Medical Group Family & Internal Medicine, 900 W. Temple Street, Building B, Effingham, Illinois.
Drive-thru testing is not available to pre-surgical patients.
Those tested will be able to access their results within 2 to 7 days, at their own convenience, through their MyChart account which is safeguarded to ensure patient privacy and confidentiality.
Other Options for COVID-19 Testing in the Effingham Area
HSHS St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital’s Emergency Department is open 24/7 365 days a year. Those presenting for care are examined by a provider and tests are performed as appropriate. HSHS St. Anthony’s Convenient Care is open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sundays. Patients who present to Convenient Care are examined by a provider and tests are performed as appropriate. People who are asymptomatic or who do not have symptoms consistent with COVID-19 will not be tested for COVID-19 in the Emergency Department or Convenient Care.
If exposed or symptomatic patients need a test, they could use the HSHS Medical Group testing site. Visit the Effingham County Health Department’s website at http://effcohealth.org/ for a current list of testing sites.
Patients scheduled for surgery at St. Anthony’s continue to be tested in advance of their procedure. These pre-op COVID-19 tests are scheduled by the pre-surgical testing department at the hospital. The pre-surgical nurse will advise on the date, time, and location for testing for our surgical patients. This location is not a free, public testing site.
About HSHS Medical Group
HSHS Medical Group is the physician organization of Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS). Launched in 2009, HSHS Medical Group is a critical component of the HSHS Care Integration strategy, which focuses on bringing physicians, technology and patients together to improve the overall health of our communities. Today, HSHS Medical Group is comprised of over 1,300 colleagues in locations throughout central and southern Illinois. HSHS Medical Group is powered by the Franciscan history of the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis, and our faith-based identity led us to the single most important tenet of the HSHS Medical Group philosophy — patient-first care. For more information about HSHS Medical Group, visit HSHSMedicalGroup.org.
About Hospital Sisters Health System
Hospital Sisters Health System’s (HSHS) mission is to reveal and embody Christ’s healing love for all people through our high quality, Franciscan health care ministry. HSHS provides state-of-the-art health care to our patients and is dedicated to serving all people, especially the most vulnerable, at each of our 15 Local Systems and physician practices in Illinois (Breese, Decatur, Effingham, Greenville, Highland, Litchfield, O’Fallon, Shelbyville and Springfield) and Wisconsin (Chippewa Falls, Eau Claire, Oconto Falls, Sheboygan, and two in Green Bay). HSHS is sponsored by Hospital Sisters Ministries. For more information about HSHS, visit www.hshs.org. For more information about Hospital Sisters of St. Francis, visit www.hospitalsisters.org.
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