The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
CT coronavirus testing sites face winter challenges
It’s hard to swab someone’s nose if your hand is numb from the cold.
That’s just one challenge facing COVID-19 testing sites as winter nears and demand for testing increases across Connecticut.
Officials running testing sites plan to move their setups inside or use methods like heaters and tents to keep staff and patients warm and out of the wintry elements. Some aim to expand capacity and hire more staff as factors like the holidays could increase the need for more tests.
“We’re responding both to the need—making sure
we have sufficient testing for the need,” said Jim Maloney, president and CEO of the Connecticut Institute for Communities, which conducts testing in Danbury. “And we are adapting to the cold weather, both in the short term and in the long run.”
But finding a way to keep patients six feet apart in a warm location is a challenge for some.
“Health centers tend to be spaces that really need to optimize space and have exam rooms crammed into hallways,” said Dr. Benjamin Oldfield, chief medical officers at Fair Haven Community Health Care in New Haven, which tests close to 2,000 patients a week between its permanent site, pop-up locations and nursing homes.
Moving inside
After the October snowfall, Fair Haven moved testing to its negative pressure room, where infectious particles cannot linger.
“That’s been our tentative plan,” Oldfield said. “We’re lucky and nimble enough to be able to move that in and out.”
Long term, the center aims to set up structures like tents or trailers. The majority of Fair Haven patients walk or use public transportation, with about two-thirds making an appointment, he said.
The Connecticut Institute for Communities, or CIFC, plans to move testing inside its Danbury Community Center. There is plenty of parking and the telephone and computer system is already set up, while the gym has high ceilings and has been unused due to the pandemic, Maloney said.
“It’s really an ideal facility,” he said. Tents inside the gym will provide privacy for patients and separate operations, he said. Pending the state health department’s approval, the facility could open at the end of the month.
Charlotte Hungerford Hospital in Torrington will close its site Nov. 14 to 16 to prepare its tent for the winter.
Hartford HealthCare, which that hospital is a part of, will move testing inside the Hartford Convention Center beginning Monday and plans to explore other indoor locations.
“Our teams have been working really hard to make sure we’re prepared for the winter,” said Dr. Ajay Kumar, chief clinical officer. “Our commitment of Hartford HealthCare to provide access to testing continues to remain strong.”
The Southwest Community Health Center in Bridgeport moved inside a 12,000-squarefoot facility and is waiting for state health department approval on two other indoor locations, said Mollie Melbourne, president/ CEO. A heated and lit tent is also on its way for outdoors.
About 65 people are permitted in the 12,000-square-foot building, which has a separate entrance and exit, Melbourne said.
“We’re really careful about how many people we let in, which is also really challenging when it’s cold or rainy outside,” she said. “There is usually a significant line outside.”
Appointments are not required, although the center could eventually switch to that, she said.
The line eventually moves inside, with patients screened for symptoms, given paperwork and kept six feet apart from others, Melbourne said. A bubble is set up around the testing area, which patients must stay at least 18 feet away from, she said.
CIFC is working out the logistics for those waiting to be tested. Ideas include requiring patients to call when they arrive or keeping those with symptoms in their cars and having staff go to them.
“That’s part of all the details we’re working out right now, so we can do it as safe a way as possible and accommodate as many people as possible,” said Katie Curran, chief operating officer and general counsel.
Scheduling tests may become more frequent.
“But we still want to be flexible in people driving by and seeing we have COVID testing,” Curran said.
In the meantime, CIFC has started testing earlier on some days due to the earlier sunsets, she said. Outdoor heaters will be set up, while fans blow warm air.
Staying outside
The Community Health Center, which conducts upward of 2,000 tests a day at 12 permanent sites and various pop-up sites across the state, plans to keep testing outside.
“That’s the safest,” said Leslie Gianelli, spokeswoman for CHC.
Container offices give staff a reprieve from the cold while they do paperwork, while the federally-qualified health center is looking into buying outdoor heaters, she said.
On some recent cold and rainy days, staff have been outside in snow jackets and personal protective equipment.
“Our teams are very resilient,” Gianelli said. “They’re dedicated to being out there. It’s kind of like the U.S. Postal Service. We’re delivering these tests, regardless of the weather conditions.”
Yale New Haven Health plans to continue testing outside its hospitals in Bridgeport, Greenwich, New Haven and other communities, said Dr. Darcy Harris, medical director, clinical operations.
“We know that being in a better, wellventilated environment and such is preferable and also avoids having to do deep cleaning protocols inside,” Harris said. “Honestly, the optics of having sick people inside in mass quantity is a real challenge.”
Outdoors is harder for staff, but easier for the 250 to 400 patients tested daily at some locations, she said. Trailers, heaters and gear for staff will keep them warm, she said.
During severe snow, plans will vary across sites, usually depending on how bad the storm is.
“People are going to need testing regardless of the weather,” Gianelli said. “We’ll take it on a case by case basis and also want to make sure we’re not endangering anyone based on severe weather conditions.”
Holiday rush
Sites anticipate demand to increase as cases rise, families look to travel for the holidays and college students come home from states on the quarantine list.
“I’m more concerned about the after (holidays) rush because those are probably going to be those who are sick than I am about the ones before (the holidays) who may just want to visit family,” Melbourne said.
The Community Health Center plans to add pop-up sites and has already expanded its hours, with four locations now conducting testing seven days a week, Gianelli said. More sites could go seven days a week in the future, she said.
Yale New Haven Health also aims to add sites and expand capacity at existing ones. CIFC has expanded to Saturdays this month and added an extra hour on some days, with the potential to expand hours further.
“It’s really just about shifting hours to try to target when we think people will need the testing the most,” Curran said.
Some sites said they plan to close on Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Year’s to give staff a break.
“Those aren’t really the days when people want testing the most,” Curran said. “They really want testing a couple days after they’ve been at a big gathering.”
Others, such as Yale New Haven Health, will remain open.
“We are a seven-day-a-week operation and we are committed to that,” Harris said.