CAIPA and Hoolime Team Up to Fight COVID-19

This week the number of positive cases increased at a much lower rate than last week and if this trend continues, the number of people admitted into hospitals should start to decline soon.

However, widespread testing is required in order to return to normalcy. This will be a herculean task given how stretched our frontline healthcare workers are and ongoing concerns with the availability of adequate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). CAIPA has been at the forefront in fighting this pandemic since the beginning of the year, starting with donations to China in January, then recently delivering protective supplies to hospitals in NYC. Now CAIPA is focusing on the mobile testing.

“We have a team of physician assistants who perform in-home assessments for health plans which have been on hold to practice social distancing, but we’re eager to help out” said Mr. Alex Tang, Clinical Director at CAIPA.

CAIPA will be setting up mobile and stationary testing booths at various locations in Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan to collect nasal swabs. Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield, Centene Corporation, MJHS Health System and Hoolime are contributing various resources including vehicles, physical space and software, respectively. Through a marketing outreach, CAIPA will inform and educate the community on how and who should get screened to avoid public confusion. Testing will require a CAIPA primary care physician’s referral and walk-ins will not be allowed to ensure social distancing.

“We are extremely proud to be supporting CAIPA in their efforts, allowing us to protect and serve our community in need,” said Raman Brar, CEO of Hoolime, which will help coordinate the logistics and scheduling of people visiting the testing booths or vehicles going to people’s homes to collect samples.