Testing for COVID-19 among vulnerable populations has proven challenging and requires collaboration among sectors to help reduce the spread within and from these communities.
Craig Brammer, CEO of The Health Collaborative (THC) and the Network for Regional Healthcare Improvement (NRHI), is joined by Dustin Calhoun MD, Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine, Medical Director for Emergency Management at UC Health, and Stacy Donohue MS, Senior Director of NRHI, et. al. in authoring an article featured January 9 on ScienceDirect.
Brammer and team conducted a qualitative study using semi-structured interviews with 26 leaders of off-site testing centers and public health departments across the United States between June 8th and August 10th, 2020. Several main themes emerged highlighting approaches to testing within vulnerable populations.
“Many off-site COVID-19 testing centers (OSCTCs) are struggling with strategies to serve vulnerable populations who have some of the highest rates of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths. Inter-OSCTC sharing of successful protocols and systems has been hampered by evolving resource constraints, the changing science of testing, and ever increasing COVID-19 case counts.”
About the Authors
Brammer serves as President & CEO of the Network for Regional Healthcare Improvement (NRHI) in Washington, D.C. & The Health Collaborative, a regional health improvement collaborative in Cincinnati. In these concurrent roles, he is responsible for helping leaders set a shared strategic direction and execute on a broad agenda of improving health and healthcare across the country.
Calhoun is Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine, Medical Director for Emergency Management at UC Health in Cincinnati. Specializing in Emergency Medicine and Air Care/Mobile Care, he has served as a crucial partner in the Greater Cincinnati region’s COVID-19 response.
Donohue joined the Network for Regional Healthcare Improvement October 2015 to provide program management to NRHI’s High–Value Care Support and Alignment Network under CMS’ Transforming Clinical Practice Initiative.
