OLEAN, N.Y. — Olean General Hospital and Bradford (Pa.) Regional Medical Center, member hospitals of Upper Allegheny Health System, announced expanded COVID-19 testing, offering antibody tests for anyone in the community.
Antibody testing is being offered at Olean General Hospital, Bradford Regional Medical Center and its laboratory testing centers in Cattaraugus, Allegany and McKean counties.
Antibody testing requires a blood draw and patients must have a primary care provider prescription to receive a test. No appointment is necessary. Patients need to simply come to OGH, BRMC or one of their laboratory draw locations during normal business hours. The antibody test is not checking for the virus itself. Instead, it looks to see whether the person’s immune system — the body’s defense against illness — has responded to the infection in the past.
Often called a serology test, it looks for certain things called antibodies in the blood. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the body makes these when it fights an infection, like COVID-19. The same thing happens when a person gets a vaccine, like a flu shot. That’s how you develop immunity to a virus.
“Giving community members the opportunity to obtain antibody testing will help determine how prevalent the disease is in our community, slow the spread of infection and help keep people safe,” said William Mills, MD, chief medical officer for Upper Allegheny Health System.
“Offering community-wide antibody testing will continue to help provide important information about who has had COVID-19,” said Jeff Zewe, RN, president and CEO of UAHS, BRMC and OGH. “From a public health standpoint, that’s important. Previously, we had made the test available to all our employees and area businesses. Now we are pleased to offer antibody testing to the community-at-large. We are doing all that we can to expand testing and ensuring access in the community for anyone who wants or needs to get tested.”
Results will be available through their provider’s patient portal.
A complete list of UAHS laboratory draw stations is available on the OGH website under programs and services, laboratory. Currently, antibody testing is available at the BRMC Outpatient Lab and at Smethport Family Practice.
