ESCANABA — With the rise of COVID-19 infections primarily among the unvaccinated, OSF HealthCare is asking members of communities it serves to refrain from coming to their facilities for asymptomatic and close contact testing.

“Right now all across the nation, we’re seeing a huge surge in COVID-19 cases,” said Chief Operating Officer Michael Cruz, MD, FACEP. “We are equipped to handle COVID testing for patients who are sick, injured or who are preparing for a procedure but our patient volume is currently so great that we need the public’s cooperation to ensure proper usage of our health care resources.”

Dr. Cruz noted options exist for people who seek to travel, return to work or otherwise need to be tested, including at-home kits and retail pharmacy locations. He stressed that emergency departments at hospitals should be reserved for true medical emergencies and not used as a means to achieve a COVID-19 test result by asymptomatic persons.

OSF HealthCare will continue to serve the needs of persons experiencing symptoms associated with COVID-19. The OSF St. Francis local COVID-19 triage line is manned from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, please call (906) 233-4225 with any questions associated with COVID-19 exposures, symptoms or testing resources.