Dwindling supply of tests means station closes earlier; Hospital seeks help with gowns

The hours at the Bristol Hospital coronavirus test collection station, picture here last month, have once again changed, this time to accommodate testing pre-op patients. Tests for the public are still limited to 40 per day. (Photo by D. Fortier)

Posted By: David Fortier April 9, 2020

By David Fortier

The Coronavirus specimen collection station on the Bristol Hospital campus closed at 10:30 a.m. this morning, according the hospital spokesman Christopher Boyle in a phone conversation this afternoon.

The station is limiting tests to 40 a day, he said.

“We’ve been very lucky with the special collection kits,” Boyle said. “But they have been decreasing and we are not sure when we are going to get another supply.”

The first day of limiting the number of tests was Wednesday.

Since March 13, when it opened, he said, the station has collected around 1,100 specimens, mostly for the public but also for in-patients, emergency personnel and staff.

In a separate initiative, Boyle said, the supply of isolation gowns used to protect staff is dwindling.

An effort, coordinated by Julie Belanger, hospital donation manager, seeks volunteers to sew gowns from materials that are available locally.

“People have been wonderful,” Boyle said. “They are always asking what they can do to help.”

Anyone interested in helping with gown project should contact Belanger at 860-261-6384 or via email at jbelanger@bristolhospital.org.

Here is a link to the source providing the specs for sewing a gown: https://www.thermaxxjackets.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Thermaxx-Gown-DIY-Guide-1.pdf. For approved materials, contact Belanger.

Testing station hours are as follows: open Monday thru Saturday at 8 a.m. until 40 specimens are collected; closed Sunday.

For more information about testing, symptoms and what to bring to the station, see the Bristol Health Coronavirus Specimen Stations page: https://www.bristolhealth.org/Your-Health/Coronavirus/Coronavirus-Specimen-Collection.