COVID-19 Testing Update

Wisconsin Department of Health Services sent this bulletin at 09/17/2020 06:09 PM CDT
DHS Logo Original 07/11/2018

COVID-19

COVID-19 Testing Update

Sept. 17, 2020

 

Things to Know

  • Improved website for Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs) supply orders. Changes to the COVID-19 Collection Supplies Request website make it easier to support ongoing SNF testing needs and to maximize lab capacity for those testing needs.
    • Orders typically take 3-5 business days to be reviewed, approved, shipped, and delivered.
  • DHS published Assisted Living COVID-19 Testing Guidance. This new resource offers a quick-reference table for testing related to staff and residents as well as critical considerations for planning.
  • Wisconsin nursing homes and assisted living facilities are slated to begin receiving Abbott BinaxNOW COVID-19 Ag CARD Point of Care diagnostic tests from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services within the week. The Federal Government has procured 150 million BinaxNOW tests to distribute to states.Training videos, modules, and frequently asked questions (FAQs) for the BinaxNOW test can be accessed here on Abbott’s website. Recommendations for how to use antigen tests in these settings is available from the CDC.

  • The State Emergency Operations Center and Wisconsin National Guard (WING) are preparing to roll-out a regional model of support for COVID-19 testing. This shift expands access to testing through all regions of the state. Testing with this strategy will continue through Dec. 10. More information will be shared as details come together later this month.

Sauk County Successfully Pilots COVID Connect

The Sauk County Health Department has partnered with DHS to pilot the use of COVID Connect (sometimes known as DTRA) at their existing community testing locations. 

Since early June, Sauk County has partnered with five Fire/EMS locations and one health system within the county to provide free, community-based COVID testing sites. There are currently four sites that operate one day per week, collecting anywhere from 30-200 specimens a week. 

Site staff reported that using the electronic registration and linking of the test specimens has streamlined the testing process and removed a significant administrative burden.

Partnership Insights from the Southern Region

Health Care Partnership: Fort HealthCare Helps to Streamline Testing in Jefferson County

Fort HealthCare helps to build local testing capacity. Chris Barron, Executive Director of Population Health and Clinical Services at Fort HealthCare offers some context.

3 key things to know about what Fort HealthCare is doing

  • Fort HealthCare is partnering with local public health to streamline COVID-19 testing in their region.
  • They created a process for testing in their region that goes from a hotline to triage to drive-up testing. Residents use the hotline as the point of access for community COVID-19 testing.
  • Close coordination with local partners allows for capacity to test regularly in addition to outbreak testing.

2 reasons this work is important to their testing strategy

  • Residents are easily able to access low-barrier testing because of the streamlined process created by Fort HealthCare.
  • It provides transparency between local partners in order to collectively meet the testing demand in this region.

1 challenge/barrier they’re working to address

  • Fort HealthCare is working on balancing the fluctuation in testing demand along with staffing challenges in their region. They hope to create a sustainable staffing structure that can meet the fluctuating testing needs in their community.

Key Testing Resources

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