Bringing COVID Testing to Your Building

Helping hand. Even as more COVID-19 vaccines become available, the coronavirus and its worrisome mutations still pose a serious health threat. Testing remains a critical first line of defense, and now, thanks to a new program, co-op and condo boards can literally bring that service right to their community’s doorstep.

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ast and free. Onsite Wellness Services is a free, onsite COVID-19 testing program working in partnership with Accureference Medical Lab in Linden, N.J., to offer the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) swab test through funding from the CARES Act. Accureference provides the test kits and personal protective equipment as well as a courier service to pick up the completed tests, and then delivers the results, which are kept strictly confidential, within two days.

Signing up. Boards can fill out a request form at onsitehealthwellness.com, and the program’s director, Regina Fuks, will get in touch to arrange a time and place in the building for testing. Boards or their managing agents can then send out an email informing shareholders or unit-owners and provide a sign-up sheet. On the appointed day, Fuks – who has been running corporate health and wellness programs for 20 years – and an assistant will administer the tests to residents and staffers. “If there’s a project going on and workers are coming in the building daily, boards can offer the tests as a courtesy to them as well,” she says. “As long as we know ahead of time how many people will show up, we can keep traffic moving.”

Peace of mind. Residents can log into the Accureference website to check their test results. If a test comes back positive, the lab or a doctor affiliated with the program will give that person a call so appropriate measures can be taken. “People really appreciate anything you can bring to their building that is better for their community,” Fuks says. “By offering onsite testing, boards can show residents that they care about their safety.”