Rapid tests offer hope to adult care

During the first wave of COVID -19 in the spring of this year, assisted-living communities across New York state reacted swiftly and comprehensively to minimize the spread of the virus. Such facilities were mandated to test all staff every week, and this will likely remain in place for the foreseeable future, at a great cost to providers.

Adult care facilities and assisted-living residences in the state are required to test more than 36,000 staff members weekly. These communities are facing a testing cost of more than $3.2 million per week for the molecular test like the RT_PCR test, which averages $100 each.

The Empire State Association of Assisted Living and its provider members strongly support the continued testing of staff so that their senior residents remain safe and healthy. However, the financial strain placed on them during the pandemic has restricted their ability to invest in other necessary activities such as building maintenance and improvements to technology to help keep residents and their families better connected. Some are even facing closure. These facilities simply cannot sustain the exorbitant weekly costs: It is breaking their backs.

Today, with advances in rapid tests, protein antigen tests like the Abbott Binaxnow COVID -19 Ag Card can produce results in about 20 minutes, dramatically reducing the risk of exposure for our residents and staff and at a much lower cost, around $35 each.

On behalf of the 30,000 senior New Yorkers who are residing in our member’s communities, we are calling upon New York state to provide them with a supply of the rapid Abbott tests from the state’s strategic stockpile so that we can provide the greatest level of protection and security for our residents, their families and the hardworking, dedicated men and women who staff these residences.