Tower Health Opens 2 Coronavirus 'Assessment Sites' In Montco

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, PA — Tower Health has opened six coronavirus assessment sites around southeastern Pennsylvania, including two in Montgomery County.

Tower, which owns several area hospitals, now has assessment sites up and running in both Plymouth Meeting and Gilbertsville.

Sign up for Patch news alerts here.

These sites are different from the pure testing sites which have popped up at several area hospitals, including Abington Health, and at county facilities like the one at Temple University Ambler.

At these Tower Health locations, qualifying patients will be assessed, screened, and treated. The goal is to keep patients with symptoms out of nearby hospitals, in order to prevent overcrowding and to stop the spread of the virus to more healthcare workers.

>>Many More Are Now Eligible For Montco Coronavirus Testing Site

Outside of Montgomery County, Tower is also operating sites in Philadelphia, Malvern, Warminster, and Reading. All sites are open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., except for Reading, which is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The assessment sites are only open to patients with specific symptoms. To be assessed, patients must have a fever and/or cough or shortness of breath, as well as an "exposure risk factor," including contact with an infected individual or domestic or international travel to highly impacted areas.

If you have a prescription from your doctor, you can bypass the initial assessment phase at the site, where healthcare workers determine if testing is neccessary.

>>Eastern PA Hospitals Lack Beds To Handle Potential Boom In Coronavirus Cases: Analysis

"The team at Tower Health is working diligently to meet the needs of our community during this unprecedented time," Charles F. Barbera, MD, Vice President of Pre-Hospital and Unscheduled Care at Tower Health, said in a statement. "We will continue to monitor the evolving situation and evaluate how we can best meet the ongoing needs for the communities we serve."

The Plymouth Meeting site is located on 580 W. Germantown Pike. In Gilbertsville, they're on 1040 E. Philadelphia Avenue.

Officials announced 23 new positive cases in Montgomery County Tuesday afternoon, bringing the county total up to 159. None of these individuals are yet recovered, though many are experiencing minor symptoms. The county has one death thus far.