COVID-19 Testing Offered to Local Volunteer First Responders
Port Jefferson Station, NY, May 2, 2020- New York Cancer & Blood Specialists (NYCBS) will begin to offer COVID-19 testing to local fire and ambulance districts on Saturday, May 2, 2020, at 1500 Route 112 Port Jefferson Station.
“We are trying to help the fire departments determine who can go back out into the field safely, whether or not members were previously exposed if they're not actively infected anymore, or if they have the antibodies so it's safer for them to go into certain areas,” Diana Youngs, RN, MSN ANP-C, VP of Clinical Operations at NYCBS said.
As the national conversation turns to the safe re-opening of municipalities, testing, and data-based decisions are taking center stage as the key to understanding the pandemic. In an effort to help first responders safely return to work, NYCBS will offer both antibody and nasal swab testing for COVID-19. The results of this testing will also be useful in determining the utilization and allocation of personal protective equipment (PPE).
“Increased, reliable testing is going to be the key to reopening businesses, public facilities, and protecting our workers. Offering these tests to our frontline workers is a critical first step,” said Brookhaven Supervisor Ed Romaine. “I want to thank New York Cancer and Blood Specialists and Dr. Vacirca for offering to test first responders. This critical public service will ensure that they and their families are healthy, and to protect the patients they serve. This is a critical public service.”
Reserved for first responders, the location which is closed on weekends ensures no potential exposure to patients and the allocated weekend availability is an added convenience for the fire departments. Nurses in PPE will test the local Fire/EMS volunteers at a designated drawing station in the parking lot. The results are processed within 30 minutes for the antibody test and between 18-24 hours for the nasal swab test.
“Volunteer ambulance workers on Long Island place themselves at risk of contracting this virus every day that they report for duty. Every single call they respond to is a potential COVID-19 positive patient,” said Greg Miglino, Chief of South Country Ambulance.“We’re grateful to New York Cancer and Blood Specialists for offering testing to these volunteers, who put their lives on the line, not for pay, but to serve the most vulnerable people in our community.”
About NYCBS
New York Cancer & Blood Specialists is committed to our patients. We are dedicated to providing each patient with a unique path to treatment and unmatched support. We strive to make quality and compassionate cancer care available from Montauk to Manhattan. We are proud to be a partner of One Oncology and a proud sponsor of the New York Cancer Foundation.