Dept. of Health Partnering With Local Clinics And Labs To Provide Free Zika Testing

Department of Health Acting Commissioners Juan Figueroa –Serville and Dr. Michelle Davis, who also serves as the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services’ Region II Director, gave updates Friday to residents on D.O.H.’s efforts to curtail the Zika virus.

The department announced that it is partnering with several clinics and labs to provide Zika virus testing at no cost to patients. Pregnant women and people who develop symptoms of the virus (fever, rash, joint pain, red eyes) should see their primary care provider for evaluation. If their providers believe that Zika testing is warranted, these patients are urged to contact the following locations:

St. Croix

Beeston Hill Clinical Lab                                            773-4990

Clinical Laboratory Inc. (Sunny Isle)                         778-5369

Frederiksted Health Care, Inc.                                   772-0260

Gov. Juan F. Luis Hospital & Medical Center           778-6311

Primary Care PLLC                                                    718-7788

St. John

Myrah Keating Smith Community Health Center      693-8900

St. Thomas

Community Medical Laboratory                                776-7444        

Cranston/Dottin Biomedical Lab                                774-6256

Doctors Clinical Laboratory                                       774-2760        

Havensight Medical Laboratory                                 774-5515        

Roy Lester Schneider Hospital                                   776-8311        

Facilities not listed above that would like to participle in the testing program and be reimbursed for their services, should contact D.O.H’s emergency operations center at (340) 712 6205.

D.O.H. also made known that the Centers for Disease Control (C.D.C.) has provided it with additional assistance, again at no cost to the territory, by making available Medical Doctor Dan Baden, and Public Health Advisor Ms. Darcie Bentz. They join C.D.C. Epidemiologist Jay Roth to assist the territory during the initial phases of the disease.  They will also be working closely with Dr. Esther Ellis, the territory’s teerritorial epidemiologist.

For local information about the disease, call 340-712-6205. For more general information call toll free:  1-800-CDC-INFO.

D.O.H. says it continues to provide Zika testing for free at its primary care clinics.