AdventHealth COVID-19 update — May 7, 2020 - CEO discusses resumed operations, patient safety measures; drive-up testing changes FAQs

May 07, 2020 — Earlier today, AdventHealth Central Florida CEO Daryl Tol and AdventHealth Centra Care President Dr. Scott Brady provided the media updates on how the organization is resuming operations and continuing to ensure the safety of our patients, team members and greater community.

The leaders also provided updates on the drive-up testing sites operated by AdventHealth throughout Central Florida.

Please see below for today’s COVID-19 updates.

Drive-up testing changes, FAQs

As part of AdventHealth’s reopening process, drive-up COVID-19 testing locations are being phased out as the state of Florida and local businesses reopen. The closing dates of those locations have been updated. The final day at the at Daytona International Speedway location was today.

Those with existing COVID-19 test reservations at an AdventHealth drive-up testing site will be able to be tested from 9 am to noon at each location until the site is closed. The final day at the remaining locations will be:

• Mall at Millenia in Orlando, Lake-Sumter State College in Leesburg and Posner Park in Davenport will close at noon on May 8
• Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee will close at noon on May 11

• The site at the Flagler/Palm Coast campus of Daytona State College will continue to operate as a county health department test site after May 15

For the remainder of these available dates, a reservation is required .

Frequently Asked Questions — Drive-up testing

Q: Why are we closing the community drive-up testing sites?

A: AdventHealth testing sites were launched to help detect COVID-19 within our communities, as few testing sites were initially available.

As COVID-19 has decreased in our communities, we are also encouraged that the percentage of people driving through our test sites and resulting positive for COVID-19 has decreased to almost one percent.

The volumes of people coming to these sites has also decreased as testing availability within our community has expanded.

For these reasons, AdventHealth will be phasing out the drive-thru testing sites while continuing to offer multiple opportunities for testing.

Q: How many people has AdventHealth tested at the community drive-up testing sites?

A: Within the last six weeks, AdventHealth has tested over 20,000 people at these drive-thru sites.

Q: Does AdventHealth provide other testing opportunities?

A: COVID-19 testing continues to be available to the community with an AdventHealth Centra Care visit at over 35 facilities throughout Central Florida, or through physician practices. AdventHealth Centra Care Lake Buena Vista is open 24 hours a day with available testing as needed.

For a comprehensive overview of the sweeping changes underway at AdventHealth — including the focus on testing all patients admitted in an AdventHealth facility or requiring an invasive, surgical procedure, and testing of all physicians and team members — please see media updates provided earlier this week.

CEO discusses testing, reopening local businesses, elective surgeries

During today’s AdventHealth Morning Briefing Facebook Live series, Daryl Tol, president and CEO of AdventHealth’s Central Florida Division provided insight on the above testing site changes, how the organization is resuming business and keeping our community safe. Additionally, Tol discussed:

• The rollout of new policies and procedures put in place at our AdventHealth hospitals, physician offices, and AdventHealth Centra Care clinics so you can rest assured they are safe
• The community’s response to the return of elective surgeries
• Thoughts on reopening local businesses responsibility
• The continued importance of masking and social distancing post stay-at-home orders

In addition, the courage and selflessness of nurses was discussed as part of an appreciation for Nurses Week, which goes through May 12.

We encourage you to refer to the video on the Life at AdventHealth Central Florida page to pull direct quotes.

Join us Tuesday, May 12, for a discussion with Dr. Peter Schoch, senior vice president of population health, and president of the AdventHealth Physician Network.

The AdventHealth Morning Briefing is a valuable resource for media and the community and is open to take media questions at 8:30 am Tuesdays and Thursdays. Hosted by Dr. Scott Brady, president of AdventHealth Centra Care, this live discussion features leaders from throughout our organization.

The videos stream on the Life at AdventHealth Central Florida page.

Media are invited to watch and ask questions in the comments field, or by texting Call407-490-3075. We ask that you keep the following in mind:

• The texting option is a feature only of the Facebook Live series. It is not operational outside that window.
• The Facebook Live series is not a substitute for formal media requests. All formal requests, including any follow-ups from the Facebook Live, should continue to be sent to the Communications team at [email protected] .
• If a member of your team is asking a question, we ask that they identify themselves and the name of the outlet.
• Please keep in mind who the speakers are and what their medical expertise is when asking questions.

We hope you find the “AdventHealth Morning Briefing” beneficial to you in your coverage.