Adirondack Health Assistant Vice President of Patient Care Services Carrie Reardon, left, prepares to test Lake Placid Middle-High School teacher Amy Spicer for COVID-19 at a mobile testing site at the North Elba Show Grounds in Lake Placid on May 13. (Enterprise photo — Elizabeth Izzo)

COVID-19 testing is now available for workers deemed essential by New York state, those with symptoms, those whose return to work hinges upon a negative result, those ordered by their doctor or a county health department to get tested, prison inmates and corrections officers, nursing home residents and staff, and hospital inpatients.

There is no direct cost to people who are tested, but hospitals will collect health insurance information and bill insurance companies, according to a news release from Adirondack Health. Insurance companies are prohibited by New York state from charging co-pays or deductibles for COVID-19 testing. Those without health insurance can apply for it during a special enrollment period through nystateofhealth.ny.gov through June 15.

Those who want to be tested in this area are encouraged to call their primary care physician to get a health order for testing, or call Adirondack Medical Center in Saranac Lake at 518-897-2462 to schedule an appointment at the main clinic or one of its upcoming mobile testing sites. Elizabethtown Community Hospital can be reached at 518-873-3069; its Ticonderoga campus can be reached at 518-585-3927. Alice Hyde Medical Center in Malone can be reached at 518-481-2700. Mountain Medical, with offices in Saranac Lake and Lake Placid, also has tests available; its main phone number is 518-897-1000. The statewide COVID-19 hotline is 1-888-364-3065.