IRON MOUNTAIN — Dickinson County Healthcare System encourages people who are sick and experiencing respiratory problems to call its COVID-19 hotline before directly seeking care at a local clinic or the hospital’s emergency room.

The hotline at 906-776-5858 enables DCHS to refer patients, when appropriate, to its COVID-19 Respiratory Clinic, which has been set up inside the Upper Peninsula Sleep Disorders Center, 1100 S. Carpenter Ave. in Kingsford. Patients are asked to contact their family practice provider first, as they will need to be referred to this clinic.

The clinic will provide a centralized testing, treatment and screening area offsite of the hospital.

Although Dickinson County has yet to have a confirmed case of COVID-19, neighboring Marquette County reported a case Tuesday and Marinette County in Wisconsin had its first confirmed case Thursday.

Gogebic County also Thursday recorded the U.P’s first death from COVID-19.

Sue Hadley, DCHS director of nursing, told the hospital board Thursday there has “already been a great response” to the respiratory clinic, which opened that day. The clinic welcomes all providers to refer patients who are exhibiting respiratory symptoms consistent with the COVID-19 disease.

It’s part of an ongoing effort to protect patients, employees and the community, said Hadley, who meets daily with a coronavirus committee to plan and strategize.

As of Thursday, DCHS had collected 22 specimens for COVID-19 testing and received nine results, all negative.

Meeting by teleconference, the board also heard from CEO Chuck Nelson, who said DCHS has received support from community partners — particularly in securing protective equipment.

“We will get through this,” he said, adding praise for DCHS staff. “I can’t find a better team that I’d rather work with,” he said.

According to Hadley, the hospital has about 800 COVID-19 test kits on hand. Protocols have been in place to limit the amount of testing, partly because of state laboratory constraints.

The turnaround for results from the state laboratory is 72 hours, Hadley noted. A reference laboratory has also been used but with a turnaround of more than a week.

Speedier tests could be possible soon, but it will depend on laboratory availability, Hadley told the board.

People who believe they have been exposed to COVID-19 and develop a fever and symptoms, such as cough or difficulty breathing, should call a health care provider for medical advice. A provider may decide that, based on the circumstances and symptoms, the patient should receive further medical screening, in which case the patient may be referred to the COVID-19 clinic. Providers have been advised to call 906-776-5913 to set up such an appointment.

In other action, the hospital board received a financial report showing a positive bottom line of $125,508 for February. That was about $72,000 better than budgeted, said Trustee Jeffrey Campbell, who chairs the finance committee.

January had a positive bottom line of $467,963, about $82,000 ahead of budget.

DCHS announced Monday it would delay a planned sale of up to $32 million in revenue bonds due to turmoil in financial markets. There was no further discussion on that development at Thursday’s meeting, or on the possible impact of state and federal legislation designed to assist hospitals during the coronavirus pandemic.

DCHS has said its financing plan remains intact and it will continue to work to ensure a successful bond sale at a later date. The Michigan Health and Hospital Association says hospitals face potentially enormous costs as they mobilize to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.