Coronavirus Danbury: Mobile Collection Site Eases Hospital Pain

DANBURY, CT — Less than a week after setting up shop on the corner of Osborne Street and Locust Avenue, Nuvance Health's drive-thru collection site has dramatically decreased foot traffic in the Emergency Room related to the new coronavirus.

That's good, because "that was one of the main intentions of the site," Nuvance spokeswoman Amy Forni said.

Danbury Hospital had been hit hard by residents "dropping in" to the Emergency Room or the front desk, expecting someone to throw a thermometer under their tongue and test for the virus.

In fact, testing is not even done at the drive-thru site, which serves as collection point for residents who have already been screened by their doctor or other healthcare professional. Nuvance doesn't want you showing up at the drive-thru collection site unannounced, either.

To be clear, the collection site is only for people who meet all of following criteria:

• You called your doctor's office and had a consultation
• Based on your symptoms and other information you provided, your doctor determined that you meet criteria for COVID-19 testing, and ordered a test for you
• You have a scheduled appointment at the collection site

Nuvance announced that a second drive-thru COVID-19 test collection site has been set up at Norwalk Hospital.

"It's normal and expected for people to worry more as the number of reported confirmed cases in Connecticut and across the country go up, which was also expected," Forni told Patch. "We've been continually expanding coverage so that we can accommodate the uptick in phone calls."

As heavily as the COVID-19 outbreak has hit southwestern Connecticut, and as much as it has already impacted everyone's day-to-day routines, count on the anxiety level has to amp up even further. The first deaths in Connecticut attributed to the virus, elderly men in Ridgefield and New Canaan, were reported Wednesday.

"We're here for the people in our communities and want to help them get answers to their questions during this trying time," Forni said.