The Hamilton County Health Department is changing the hours of operation for their COVID-19 hotline. The new hours will be:
• Monday – Friday: 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
• Saturday: 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
• Sunday: Closed
“Since its activation on March 5th through June 17th, the call center has fielded 22,462 calls,” said Health Department Administrator Becky Barnes. “Lately, the center handles approximately 400 calls a day during the week and the majority of those calls are early in the day.
The change in hotline hours will allow us to reallocate staff time to the time of day when call volume is greatest.'
Among a wide variety of calls, hotline staff report that recurring call topics tend to be: Where can I get tested?; I think I’ve been exposed, what do I need to do?; What are the results of my test?; and businesses seeking guidance about reopening.
During times when the Hamilton County Health Department hotline is closed, residents have another option to call the Tennessee Department of Health’s COVID-19 hotline at 877-857-2945 or 833-556-2476, available Monday – Friday 11 a,n,-9 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m.-5 p.m.. However, this hotline is for general information only and will have limited information about local matters.
The Hamilton County Health Department hotline is one of several information outlets for the Health Department. Residents can also consult their website, which has local case numbers, current testing site information, a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page, an archive of all press releases in both English and Spanish, print resources for organizations and more.
The Health Department can also be followed on Facebook in English and Spanish, Instagram (@hamiltoncotn_health), and Twitter (@HamiltonHealth). All press briefings can be viewed live and are archived on the Hamilton County Government’s YouTube Channel.
The Hamilton County Health Department hotline can be reached at 423-209-8383.