Community Memorial Hospital and Madison County Health Department open COVID-19 test site in Hamilton

HAMILTON — Community Memorial Hospital in Hamilton on March 24 opened a testing site for coronavirus (COVID-19).

The hospital did so in coordination with the Madison County Health Department and with support from Colgate University and the Hamilton Police Department, per a Madison County government news release.

Hospital staff tested people for COVID-19 in a drive-thru like setup. The program is by appointment only and open weekdays, with operating hours posted daily. 

Individuals who meet the criteria to be tested for COVID-19 must make an appointment first before being able to go to the testing site. To make an appointment people need to call Community Memorial Hospital at (315) 228-3022. 

The opening of the testing site comes after news on March 22 that a Hamilton resident, an elderly person with underlying health issues, had died of the coronavirus, the first COVID-19 fatality in Central New York.

“The news of the death of a Hamilton resident impacts us all as a community,” Madison County Public Health Director Eric Faisst said in a March 23 statement. “We are saddened by the person’s passing, by the fact that this virus has touched our community in this way, and we are concerned about the spread of the virus. That, in combination with learning of a positive test result from an out-of-state student at Colgate University, has the community as a whole asking a lot of questions. We can stop this together by working together. The decision each of us makes now will impact us all tomorrow and beyond. Stay Home.”