Good news for the Boothbay region! The Boothbay Region Health Center has been providing COVID-19 testing since April 17. In that time period, we have performed 86 Antibody tests and 235 Nasal Swab tests. The good news is that there have been 0 Active COVID-19 infections out of the 321 people tested at the Health Center to-date.

The people who have been coming to be tested at our community Health Center, which is conveniently located in the Meadow Mall, fall into four categories:

1. People who were sick earlier this year and suspect that it might have been COVID-19. Those people receive Antibody tests.

2. Visitors for our region from out-of-state who do not want to quarantine for two weeks and who want to be sure they can be out and about without the risk of infecting anyone else.

3. Local residents who want to know if they are asymptomatic carriers.

4. Anyone who isn't feeling well and wants to rule out COVID-19.

The Boothbay Region Health Center performs COVID-19 tests by appointment only. Call 633-1075 to request an appointment. The test results are back within 48 hours. (Be forewarned, that we are fully booked for the next week or so.) You do not need to have symptoms to be tested, but you do need a doctor's order (which we can provide through a scheduled Tele-Visit). The cost of the lab test itself is either covered by your health insurance or covered by the CARES Act. The Tele-Visit to obtain a doctor's order costs $66. The Tele-Visit cost is covered by many health insurance plans.

We are not compensated for administering the lab tests, which requires two trained technicians in full PPE equipment three afternoons/week. We are very grateful to those of you who donate funds to help us cover the costs of administering these COVID-19 tests locally. You can mail those to BRHC, 185 Townsend Ave, Suite R, Boothbay Harbor, ME 04538.

Other BRHC news

Jennie McNeil, FNP-BC, PMHNP-BC was appointed as director of clinical operations for the Health Center. In her new role, Jennie will be working with all of our primary care providers and our team of medical assistants/health coordinators to ensure that our patients receive the most effective treatments for their conditions.

In addition to serving as our psychiatric nurse practitioner and treating local patients with tick-borne illnesses, Jennie is also pleased to now be able to offer Medical Reiki treatments for those patients who are interested in integrative medical approaches.

You may also have noticed that the Health Center now has a new phone system, which is due to the increase in the number of phone calls we are receiving (1,300 per day). If you get a voicemail prompt, please know that we check those messages numerous times throughout the day and will return you call within 24 hours. Multiple phone calls and repeat voicemails bog down the system and cause longer return call wait times.

Our full roster of providers remains ready to treat you, your family, and your visitors from our convenient location in the Meadow Mall. Our Primary Care Providers are Dr. Alan Teel, Physician's Assistant Andy Zuber, Family Nurse Practitioners Susan Lord, Whitney Tranchemontagne and Jennie McNeil. Our clinical social worker is Cathy Fisher. Our Nurse Care Manager Kandace Zuber handles prescription refills, chronic care management, and our Reverse Dementia Research Program. Robyn Ham is our clinical care manager and runs the Health Center. Becky Alley is our senior health coordinator and safety officer, and Jessica Benson and Kaitlyn Powers are our health coordinators/medical assistants. Kerri Kelley is our medical receptionist and Kalina Provost handles our finances. Our whole team looks forward to seeing you this summer Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Please continue to enjoy and to support local, convenient, non-profit primary healthcare on the Boothbay peninsula.