Baton Rouge, LA — March 18, 2020 — The Mayor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness Community Testing Site at Baton Rouge General – Mid City will resume Wednesday only for patients who had orders faxed prior to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 17. Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome convened her COVID-19 Medical Task Force to update testing protocols to ensure our most vulnerable patients receive a COVID-19 test. The site will begin accepting new orders Thursday as COVID-19 tests become available. The site will remain open on a day-by-day basis as supplies allow, 1 p.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Friday.
Patients appropriate for sending to the testing site must have symptoms and also fall within the below criteria:
Symptoms:
- Fever over 100.4
- and cough or shortness of breath
- and/or headaches
And fall within the following categories:
- Symptomatic patients who are pregnant women
- Immuno-compromised patients or people who are living in communal settings
- Infants younger than ten weeks of adjusted gestational age
- Healthcare workers with direct contact with a confirmed/presumed positive COVID-19 case
Patients who should NOT have a referral to the testing site:
- Patients with symptoms consistent with alternate diagnoses, such as seasonal allergies, should be monitored but not sent to the testing site.
- Low-risk, otherwise healthy individuals aged 15-45, with no known co-morbid conditions.
To refer a patient to the testing site:
- Fax orders and patient face sheet (Must include insurance information) to 225-442-5200.
- No handwritten orders will be accepted, and order MUST include the following:
- Insurance information or face sheet
- ICD-10 Diagnosis Code
- NPI #
- Physician Name, POC Phone Number and Fax Number
- Provide patients with directions/instructions for testing and post-testing.
- The patient must have a state-issued ID to receive the test. If a pediatric patient, the person driving the minor must have a state-issued ID that matches the person’s name on the provider order or face sheet.