Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine announced a partnership with CVS Health to assist with nursing home facility testing as part of the state’s COVID-19 response.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health and Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency are partnering with CVS Health to offer COVID-19 testing services to skilled nursing facilities statewide, free of charge. This is in order to make sure facilities are compliant with Levine’s universal testing order issued June 9.
“We are so pleased to have this level of collaboration and assistance from CVS Health,” Levine said. “COVID-19 is a particularly challenging situation for congregate settings, particularly our nursing home facilities. This partnership strengthens and increases access to ensure universal testing is completed in nursing homes, as required in the order issued earlier this month. It will provide us the opportunity to better address outbreaks and work to prevent future outbreaks in nursing home facilities. These teams are assisting us in our response in the hardest-hit areas as we work to protect the public health and safety of Pennsylvanians.”
Omnicare, a CVS Health company, will administer up to 50,000 tests for skilled nursing residents and staff members beginning the week of June 29. The department will roll out a three-tiered priority list for testing beginning with facilities with new or ongoing outbreaks, then to facilities with a history of a resolved outbreak and finishing with facilities with no outbreaks.
“At Omnicare, we are dedicated to providing outstanding service to our long-term care customers and their patients. Our COVID-19 testing solutions are a prime example of our capabilities, and a critical component of our broader response to the pandemic,” said Jim Love, president of Omnicare. “We are pleased to partner with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to increase access and availability to testing for these critically important long-term care facilities and their vulnerable patient populations.”
Through the work of a number of entities, testing is accessible for Pennsylvanians through a variety of locations. Adding CVS Health, Patient First, Rite Aid, Walmart and other testing sites for symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals through select retail locations across the state has further allowed for Pennsylvanians to get tested close to home. Adding these locations to those already offered by hospitals, health systems, Federally Qualified Health Centers, health clinics and other locations significantly expands the testing network in the state.
More information is available here.
