The Expositor article published December 11, 2020
By Postmedia Staff
Beginning Dec. 14, the Rural Lambton COVID Testing Centre will be moving from Petrolia to Plympton-Wyoming.
Thanks to a partnership between the North Lambton Community Health Centre, the Central Lambton Family Health Team and the municipality of Plympton-Wyoming, the testing facility will now be located at the municipality’s new Health and Wellness Centre, located at 596 Broadway St. in Wyoming.
Following provincial guidelines, COVID-19 testing will continue to be by appointment only, which can be booked at testing.getcorigan.ca.
Family health team executive Sarah Milner said that the move will broaden access to COVID-19 testing in Lambton County.
“Our teams have been working collaboratively for several months now out of the Petrolia testing site,” Milner said. “Shifting testing to Wyoming will further broaden access. We are thrilled to partner with the municipality to provide this important service to the entire rural community. Mayor Lonny Napper and CAO Carolyn Tripp have displayed outstanding leadership through their involvement in this important, provincial health care initiative.”
“It is important to ensure access to COVID-19 testing in rural locations in Sarnia Lambton to benefit the residents by providing testing closer to home,” said Community Health Centre executive director Kathy Bresett. “Our team looks forward to continuing working together with the Central Lambton Family Health Team and the municipality of Plympton-Wyoming.”
Mayor Lonny Napper said the new Wellness Centre, located in the former TD Bank building, is perfectly suited for this new function.
“Plympton-Wyoming along with its community partners being the Wyoming Lion’s Club, Plympton-Wyoming Agricultural Society and TD Canada Trust Bank, are thrilled to be a part of this collaboration,” he said. “We cannot think of a better opportunity to introduce our new Health and Wellness Centre to Lambton County. The town is looking forward to working with the Central Lambton Family Health Team and the North Lambton Community Health Centre and supporting their endeavours in the future.”
Petrolia & North Enniskillen Fire Department chief Jay Arns said that the department’s partnership with the Rural Lambton COVID Testing Centre will continue at the new site.
“The CLFHT has been instrumental in the fight against COVID-19 since the pandemic hit. A continued collaborative effort between PNEFD and CLFHT for a COVID-19 testing center since the pandemic started has shown how strong our community is and the great things that can be accomplished with these types of collaborative efforts,” he said. “The new partnership between CLFHT /NLCHC and Plympton-Wyoming including the relocation of the COVID-19 assessment center to the Wyoming Wellness Center is yet another example of how rural communities come together on a united front to provide increased wellness for all residents.”
Hours of operations, testing processes and holiday hours will be made available on both primary care team and Lambton Public Health websites at www.centrallambtonfamilyhealthteam.com, www.nlchc.com and www.lambtonpublichealth.ca.