Auburn hospital opens clinic for respiratory illnesses, COVID-19 screening

Apr. 11--Auburn Community Hospital will conduct COVID-19 screening and care for patients with respiratory illnesses at a new clinic that opened this week.

The hospital received approval from the state Department of Health to open the site at the former Cayuga County Nursing Home. It will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Doctors and nurses from the hospital will staff the clinic.

It's an appointment-only clinic. People with symptoms of respiratory illnesses will be referred to the clinic after consulting with their primary care physician, an urgent care center or the Cayuga County Health Department. You can't show up to the clinic without an appointment.

According to a news release from the hospital, the purpose of the clinic is to "provide a care setting for patients who do not require emergent or urgent care from going to the emergency room, urgent care centers and physician offices."

Scott Berlucchi, president and CEO of Auburn Community Hospital, said centralizing patients with respiratory illnesses will help prevent surges at the emergency room and local urgent care centers.

"We need to make sure primary care doctors can see patients for problems other than COVID-19 and respiratory illness," Berlucchi said. "This plan allows us to segregate and care for potential COVID-19 patients and patients with respiratory complaints from other patients in a very practical and safe manner."

Berlucchi added that the opening of the clinic is an investment that's at "considerable cost" to the hospital. Last week, the hospital urged the federal government to expedite the release of funding for medical centers across the country.

A portion of the former nursing home, which closed in 2015, is being used for the clinic. In March, the health department used the facility for its coronavirus testing. Cayuga County Legislature Chairwoman Aileen McNabb-Coleman told The Citizen at the time that the interior of the nursing home was cleaned and internet access was installed.

"This additional site will provide substantial relief for healthcare workers at both the Auburn Community Hospital emergency department, as well as our community healthcare partners," McNabb-Coleman said in a statement Saturday.

Kathleen Cuddy, director of the Cayuga County Health Department, believes the clinic is a "natural complement" to the testing performed by the department over the last few weeks.

"In addition to the health department's swabbing, I feel the hospital's centralized site to provide respiratory health services is a practical and beneficial service expansion for our residents," Cuddy said.

The opening of the clinic comes as more confirmed cases of COVID-19 are reported. As of Friday, there are 31 positive cases in the county.

Politics reporter Robert Harding can be reached at (315) 282-2220 or robert.harding@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @robertharding.

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