TSV takes on COVID with new app

For Taos Ski Valley, having a plan that synergized COVID-19 screening (inquiring about possible COVID symptoms) and testing (confirming a COVID diagnosis through laboratory scrutiny) was essential for reopening the local economy.

According to Village of Taos Ski Valley (VTSV) Chamber Executive Director Courtney Tucker, a consortium was formed in early August 2020 to discuss how to safely reopen for the upcoming ski season. The group consisted of Mogul Medical, Taos Ski Valley Inc., VTSV Chamber and the municipality.

“It takes a village to keep a village safe – we are all in it together,” Tucker said. “So, we talked about, ‘How can we do this so that we can keep the employees and their families safe and working?’ If we can do that, that means we have 40 businesses up there operating and that in itself is an economic boost to the town.”

The group decided on a twotier system – though Tucker will tell you that the state’s guidelines make up a third tier. First, they would figure out a fast and efficient way to screen employees. Then, they would tackle how to test.

“This was really a full team effort,” said Tucker.

According to Quigley Peterson, M.D., owner and physician at Mogul Medical, a company that provides medical services at Taos Ski Valley, tier one meant advanced screening methods like the goEvo app, now being employed at Taos Ski Valley.

“The goEvo app means that every employee can check in for screening everyday,” Peterson said. “So nobody has to wait around for screening and managers, not just at the ski mountain, but in businesses all over Taos, can see who has checked in for screening and who hasn’t.”

Peterson has been working with emergency medicine specialist Dr. Linda Lynch to develop protocol questions for the app, which developer Big House Ventures allows them to customize themselves.

Questions include asking employees about their temperature and checking for any symptoms of illness.

“The app is easy, and it keeps health at the top of your mind,” said Tucker, who helped adapt the app for use in the Taos Ski Valley businesses outside of the ski area. “Everyday, you have to wake up and answer those seven questions [on the app] and think about your health.”

The second part of the plan, which Peterson began developing in September in partnership with the consortium, and funded in part by the Lodgers Tax Board, involves advanced testing techniques.

“According to government order, we need to test the [Taos Ski Valley] employees every week,” Peterson said. “That means roughly 150 people every week, and those tests take a long time to get back.”

Typical test-result turnaround times can vary from 24-48 hours, according to Quest Diagnostics.

Part of the solution to the delays would require an onsite COVID testing machine. Luckily, Peterson and the planning group ordered that very machine in September. Unluckily, it has yet to arrive.

“We expect it to arrive in the next couple of weeks,” said Peterson.

The machine would allow Taos Ski Valley and other local businesses to test employees and get results within one hour.

Peterson and his team have put in months of work to formulate a plan for the winter business season. Early signs are positive. The app is a game changer, according to Peterson. Taos Ski Valley is currently operating at the 25-percent capacity limit mandated by the state.

The next step will be to tackle the challenge of helping to get all 600 to 800 Taos Ski Valley employees vaccinated. Challenges are sure to arise, but Peterson is cautiously optimistic.

“So far, so good,” he said.