COVID-19 Alerts

Please visit our COVID vaccine page for current information about vaccine availability

COVID testing is at 77 Middlesex Ave. in Somerville (Assembly Square).

Testing Process and Details:

• You must have an appointment (see below). Please note: testing slots are limited.
• You can come by car, by bicycle or on foot. If coming by car, please keep your windows rolled up.
• There is no age limit for children. But your child must be able to sit still and tolerate the nose swab inside the vehicle. 
• Please bring a picture ID.
• Tests are provided to everyone, regardless of insurance status. If you have insurance, CHA will bill them for the test (you may get a statement from them showing this).

Make an Appointment:

• CHA patients with symptoms: Call the COVID Triage Center at 617-665-1977 (Monday-Saturday 8:15 a.m. - 5 p.m.) All other times, please call your primary care office. Someone is available to help 24/7.
• CHA patients without symptoms: Call 617-665-2928. 
• Non-CHA patients with symptoms: please call your regular doctor first. If you have had a medical evaluation and still want to schedule a test, call 617-665-2928.
• Non-CHA patients without symptoms: Call 617-665-2928.

Note: Our COVID testing phone line is open Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. Appointment slots are limited, and we do not book out more than 5 days.

Testing Technology:

COVID-19 (SARS-COV-2) viral testing is performed at our in-house CHA Laboratories. Outpatient testing is performed utilizing the nucleic acid amplification (NAAT) testing methods. 

For airline travel and other situations (schools, businesses, etc.) where COVID-19 molecular testing is required, this methodology is compliant with the most recent CDC guidelines (see Most Recent CDC testing guideline for air travelers), CDC (Interim Considerations for Testing for K-12 School Administrators and Public Health Officials) and Department of Transportation (DOT), Department of Homeland Security and Department of Homeland Security guidelines (Runway to Recovery). 

For specific questions or concerns regarding testing, please contact the Chief of Pathology (pathology@challiance.org).

Inpatient COVID testing methodologies include Isothermal nucleic amplification(for urgent decision making only), real time PCR (RT-PCR) and possibly nucleic acid amplification(NAAT) testing methods.

Getting Results:

Results may take up to 5 days to be available after you are tested. If you have not been contacted, it is because your result is not yet available.

CHA patients with symptoms: You will get results from your CHA primary care team. Results will also be available in MyChart.

Cambridge residents: You will get results from the Cambridge Health Department (617-665-3826).

Chelsea residents: You will get results from the Chelsea Health Department (617-874-7678).

Everett residents: You will get results from the Everett Health Department (617-394-2257).

Malden residents: You will get results from the Malden Health Department (781-397-7052).

Medford residents: You will get results from the Medford Health Department (781-393-2503).

Revere residents: You will get results from the Revere Health Department (781-632-2781).

Somerville residents: You will get results from the Somerville Health Department (617-591-3240).

Winthrop residents: You will get results from the Emergency Operations Center (617-539-5848).

Other communities: CHA staff will contact you with your results.

We are glad you are coming to see us!

To protect you, and other patients, please STOP for our screeners when entering any CHA building.

Our safety standards:

• Wear a proper mask. You must be wearing a procedure or surgical mask, cloth mask, or mask without vents or valves. We will give you a procedure or cloth mask to replace any unsafe mask when you arrive. You won't be allowed into a CHA building if you wear a mask with vents, a gaiter or a bandana.
• Use hand sanitizer when you enter the building.
• Maintain social distance (at least 6 feet apart).
• Answer our questions about COVID exposure or symptoms. (Do you have a fever/chills, sore throat, cough, shortness of breath, body ache, headache, or loss of taste or smell?)
• Come to your visit alone, if you are able. Visitors are permitted only in special circumstances, when necessary for patient well-being.
  • For adults, one caretaker can come to the visit, if needed.
  • For children and elderly patients, one parent or caregiver is allowed for most visits.
  • Please tell the team if you, or someone you care for, has intellectual, developmental, or physical disabilities or other care giving needs.

For the safety of our patients and staff, hospital visitors are permitted only in special circumstances, when necessary for patient well-being. These include:

• End of life care for hospitalized patients.
• Labor and delivery.
• Breastfeeding moms.
• Patients on our child and adolescent assessment units.
• Behavioral health patients, including interactions with an attorney that cannot be done virtually.

In these limited cases when visitors are allowed:

• No visitor will be under the age of 18 unless they are a child of the patient.
• Only one visitor per day for no more than 30 minutes.
• Visitors will be asked questions about COVID. Any visitor with symptoms will not be allowed to enter.
• Visitors will be told to wear a mask and keep it on at all times. (Masks with vents, gaiters and bandanas are not allowed).
• If additional PPE is required, the hospital will provide it and help the visitor with donning and doffing.
• Visitors must remain 6 feet from patients at all times.

Every effort will be made to provide video technology for virtual visits with patients.

CHA has a website called CHA Connect where you can search for local social services.

You can use CHA Connect to find things like housing assistance, food support and much more.

As required by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, CHA attests to continuing to meet specific requirements to reopen or expand services.

Phase 1 Reopening Attestation

Phase 2 Reopening Attestation