Seattle paramedic on bringing mobile coronavirus testing to local nursing homes

  • Source: KUOW 94.9FM - Puget Sound Public Radio
  • Published: 05/18/2020 11:37 AM

In early March, Chief Scoggins realized it was almost impossible for us to get timely tests of our own members and that we would lose the resiliency of our workforce if we weren’t able to figure out who was sick and who wasn’t. They recognized the need for us to do our own testing. Previously, a nasal swab was not a skill that EMTs or paramedics were allowed to perform in the state of Washington. The Washington State Department of Health mobilized quickly to make this possible for us. In about two days -- in partnership with the Seattle Police Department -- we put together a drive-through clinic. We operated that for several weeks before the Chief realized that we needed to help do some of the testing in long term care facilities where there simply wasn’t enough personnel from the other entities to make that happen in a timely way.



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