SRMT Health Services Clarifies On-Site COVID-19 Testing

Aug 13, 2020

Akwesasne – The Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe’s Health Services is taking this opportunity to respond to recent inquiries as to why community members or employees have to go off site to Massena or Malone for a COVID-19 test when the tribal clinic has the ability to test at our facility. The answer is based on limited supplies, as we do not have access to ample test kits to conduct all the testing that is being requested at our site. Because of limited supplies, we have developed a priority ranking for when you can get a test at the health center or off site.

Access to the health center’s test (known as the Abbott ID Now) is limited to those that have possible symptoms, pre-operation requirements, or have had direct verified exposure to a positive case. This is not an inclusive list and you should consult with our medical professionals to determine your needs. Please know that limiting access to the Abbott test is crucial at this time to ensure proper test kits are available in the case of an urgent medical need.

With school season around the corner, we ask you to look ahead. Health Services will not be able to accommodate the demand for school testing requirements for our entire community, so planning ahead is very crucial, as the turnaround time for test results is anywhere from 2 to 14 days.

Please find out now if your child’s school requires a COVID test and how many days before the start of school it is needed. We anticipate a high demand, so if a test is required you should get one scheduled at one of our contract sites as soon as you can. To schedule a test off site, please contact Massena Memorial at (315) 769-4321 or Mountain Medical at (518) 521-3322.

At the current time, we are not covering anti-bodies testing. If an individual has a positive antibody test result, it shows that they have antibodies from an infection with the virus that causes COVID-19 or possibly from infection with a related virus from the same family of viruses (called coronavirus), such as the one that causes the common cold.

We do not know at this time if having antibodies to the virus that causes COVID-19 can protect someone from being infected again or, if they do, how long this protection might last. Therefore, antibody tests should not be used to diagnose COVID-19 and should not be used to inform infection prevention actions. Please visit the U.S. Center for Disease Control’s website for more information at www.cdc.gov.

As a general reminder, please continue to exercise the following protective measures for the continued safety of Akwesasne: wear a mask, social distance, and wash your hands often.

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The Saint Regis Mohawk Tribal Council is the duly elected and federally recognized government of the Saint Regis Mohawk People.