Inside a COVID-19 Specimen Collection Site - Your Questions Answered

[Bluesky 07]

I used to be in aviation and did a thread called "Secrets of the Airline Industry" on another forum that was surprisingly popular. As luck would have it, my current role in public health emergency response landed me right in the middle of the COVID-19 response handling logistics & operational support for a Specimen Point of Collection (colloquially, a test site). If anyone is curious about anything and I can answer it and do so publicly, I will. Obviously any opinions I express are my own and my background is in emergency preparedness, not medicine or epidemiology so keep that in mind.

Edit: This is dropping off PPE & supplies to the Greeter station before opening. “No photography” sign is for the privacy of those being tested (HIPAA applies) & our staff; the signs went up after some reporter got a “referral” from a doctor (or “doctor” perhaps) on day 2 or so & drove through filming the whole process.

 

[Gamma Ray]

Why is that truck in there backwards?

Why was there a photo even though the sign says no photos?

:dance:

Seriously, thank you for helping us all.

 

[Dillusion]

Lol.

 

[Bumbo]

Why is that truck in there backwards?

Why was there a photo even though the sign says no photos?

:dance:

Seriously, thank you for helping us all.

I'm guessing its his truck, and how else is he supposed to share it with the class :becky:

 

[spartacus]

I used to be in aviation and did a thread called "Secrets of the Airline Industry" on another forum that was surprisingly popular. As luck would have it, my current role in public health emergency response landed me right in the middle of the COVID-19 response handling logistics & operational support for a Specimen Point of Collection (colloquially, a test site). If anyone is curious about anything and I can answer it and do so publicly, I will. Obviously any opinions I express are my own and my background is in emergency preparedness, not medicine or epidemiology so keep that in mind.


Like to know what the process is like ? Do we make an appointment? Do we come as a family and the little ones are also tested? Do we fill out paper work online or at the site? Are the results confidential according to hipaa or do we get a scarlet letter stamp lol? please forgive my attempt at levity.

 

[Dillusion]

Like to know what the process is like ? Do we make an appointment? Do we come as a family and the little ones are also tested? Do we fill out paper work online or at the site? Are the results confidential according to hepa or do we get a scarlet letter stamp lol? please forgive my attempt at levity.

Each site is going to have different requirements to get tested. Prolly not a good idea to follow guidelines from someone in GA when you in CO.

 

[spartacus]

Each site is going to have different requirements to get tested. Prolly not a good idea to follow guidelines from someone in GA when you in CO.

I am going to do my homework for sure but wanted to know generally since the OP is setting up logistics and planning.

 

[Bluesky 07]

I used to be in aviation and did a thread called "Secrets of the Airline Industry" on another forum that was surprisingly popular. As luck would have it, my current role in public health emergency response landed me right in the middle of the COVID-19 response handling logistics & operational support for a Specimen Point of Collection (colloquially, a test site). If anyone is curious about anything and I can answer it and do so publicly, I will. Obviously any opinions I express are my own and my background is in emergency preparedness, not medicine or epidemiology so keep that in mind.


Like to know what the process is like ? Do we make an appointment? Do we come as a family and the little ones are also tested? Do we fill out paper work online or at the site? Are the results confidential according to hepa or do we get a scarlet letter stamp lol? please forgive my attempt at levity.

Depends on local guidelines - check with the board of health in your county. Ours have evolved; at first people needed a medical referral but that has been dropped. We have a website where people answer a few questions & provide their contact details, then they receive a text with the date & a time within a 2-hour timeframe. That’s just for general scheduling though, we don’t turn people away if they come outside their assigned block or on a different day, or even if they haven’t registered at all. We have someone on site who just registers anybody who hasn’t been able to do it themselves. We don’t advertise that though b/c it obviously takes a lot longer.

Results are absolutely confidential as the data is subject to HIPAA guidelines. That should be the case nationwide. We give a handout explaining things like that and what to expect next. Members of our agency staff call people with their results.

No worries about the levity - I always appreciate some humor, especially in tough situations like this.

 

[Bluesky 07]

Why is that truck in there backwards?

Why was there a photo even though the sign says no photos?

:dance:

Seriously, thank you for helping us all.

Okay, that was pretty funny and provides a terrific lesson in perspective. I didn’t think twice about b/c I knew I was parked like that before we opened, dropping the PPE & supplies needed by the greeter, and b/c the no photos policy is to protect the privacy of those being tested & our clinical staff, which isn’t in play here. If I had it to do over, I would have explained all that or used another pic.

Thanks for calling me on it, & for your kind words.