Medical professionals are mobilizing against COVID-19 in ways that the government isn’t. Take, for instance, the Coalition of Asian-American IPA [Independent Practice Association] (CAIPA) which launched a new mobile-testing van initiative that will help healthcare workers conduct novel coronavirus screenings across New York City, they announced via press release on April 20. 

"During these difficult times, we understand the dire need for testing and CAIPA is dedicated to helping those in the community conveniently access these tests," CAIPA’s president and CEO George C. K. Liu, said in the statement. "Our mobile testing units are traveling to locations around the city to maximize our ability to best serve communities throughout the city, in addition to our stationary testing centers." 

With at least four mobile vans that were donated by Empire BlueCross BlueShield and Fidelis Care, the initiative seeks to provide early interventions to reduce hospitalizations; identify patients at high risk, according to guidelines from the New York State Health Department and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and find the best hospitals where patients can receive care.  

Before creating a testing site on wheels, CAIPA’s task force, which represents more than 1,000 New York doctors and healthcare professionals, has donated supplies—such as gloves, goggles, hand sanitizers, isolation protective gowns, masks with shields, N95 masks, shoe covers and surgical masks—to hospitals, healthcare facilities and providers. Liu said the initiative could be a model used in other cities, especially for the home-bound, frail and elderly who otherwise may not be able to physically get tested.

To learn more about the testing locations, visit CAIPA’s site here.