AFC deploys COVID-19 mobile testing vans in communityDate: 11/4/2020 GREATER SPRINGFIELD – With coronavirus cases rising across the state of Massachusetts, American Family Care (AFC) will start offering COVID-19 tests in specially-designed mobile testing vans in Western Massachusetts.
Beginning on Nov. 1, AFC, which is the largest provider of urgent care and accessible primary care in the Commonwealth, will deploy mobile testing vans to pre-scheduled locations at schools and businesses throughout the state. AFC Springfield and AFC West Springfield will each have a van traveling out of its original locations.
According to AFC’s press release, the highly-equipped vans will be staffed with medical providers “who have extensive experience administering government-approved testing equipment, including the Abbott ID NOW molecular rapid test.”
Jim Brennan, owner and CEO of Medvest LLC, told Reminder Publishing AFC is mainly working with businesses and other municipalities for mobile van tests, including grocery store chains, prisons, departments of public works, and other large employers.
“This van is for asymptomatic people,” said Brennan. “So for example, if there’s a business or a school, or a municipality that may have increased exposure, and they want to test all of their staff, then this is a way to do that.”
The goal is to provide instant mass testing of 100 to 150 patients a day, particularly those patients who are a part of a school or business. Depending on how many people are getting tested, results could be available in as little as 15 minutes. And if not, then Brennan said the results would be available before the day is over.
“We’ve had several companies who would either like to schedule their employees to be tested on a regular basis,” said Brennan. “But they also want to be able to make sure that if there is a potential contamination within their businesses, that they have a resource to utilize to make sure they can test their people right away.”
By testing patients as quickly as possible, businesses and other municipalities hope to limit exposure, especially within a clustered population. Brennan said that this new process focuses less on the individual, and more on the groups of people who may have come in contact with someone who has COVID-19.
To get the word out, Brennan said that both vans will be traveling around the area to speak to businesses about how AFC can offer proper testing in a short period of time. This will be crucial for every party involved, especially since results for COVID testing at normal locations can sometimes take a few days.
“Right now if there’s an outbreak, there’s such a backlog in testing, it may take two or three days to get some test results back,” said Brennan. “Well unfortunately, those two or three days are very crucial when the virus is spreading.”
The mobile testing vans hope to cut this wait tremendously, especially since testing a high volume of people is possible now.
“If we can detect it [the virus] amongst the employees, or whoever we’re testing in groups, and get results in the same day, it’s really a win-win,” said Brennan.
AFC Springfield will continue to offer diagnostic testing for individual patients at their Springfield location at 415 Cooley St. Flu shots, on-site x-rays, and care for minor bone breaks are also available at both the Springfield and West Springfield locations, according to information provided by AFC.
Online check-in and current wait times are available at AFCUrgentCareSpringfield.com.
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