Erie Shores Healthcare plans to close its COVID-19 testing centre for migrant workers on Thursday.
It opened at the Nature Fresh Recreation Centre on June 9 and has tested more than 750 workers since. However, the demand for testing has dropped in recent days.
"This initiative expanded access to COVID-19 testing to workers within the agri-food sector, doing what we could to break down some of the barriers to testing that previously existed," said Dr. Ross Moncur, Interim CEO and chief of staff at Erie Shores Healthcare.
The centre could test 100 migrant workers an hour, and the goal was to swab 8,000 over two-weeks.
The centre was a partnership involving the hospital in Leamington, Essex Windsor EMS, Windsor Regional Hospital, Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare, the Windsor-Essex Community Health Centre, Home and Community Care ESC/Ontario Health West Region, CMHA Windsor Essex, and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.
Swabbing and testing were supported by the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit and the Municipality of Leamington.
Between 40 and 50 staff from the different organizations were on-site each day, along with translators.
The multidisciplinary teams also provided 85 health check-ups to workers who otherwise might not have been treated. More than 800 Worker HealthAid cards were also handed out.
A statement from Erie Shores Healthcare said the collaboration was successful in creating a model to test workers in a safe, controlled environment.
The partnership will continue on a written referral basis for symptomatic workers.
Erie Shores Healthcare said, "should circumstances change based on federally and/or provincial guidance involving the agri-food/temporary foreign worker sector; the partners will revisit this model for further worker testing."
Assessment centres at the Ouellette Campus of the Windsor Regional Hospital and Erie Shores Healthcare will remain open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. It is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the weekend.
