Affinity Empowering Enrolls The Capitol School, First in Alabama, for No-Cost COVID-19 Tests Through Operation Expanded Testing

ALEXANDRIA, Va. and TUSCALOOSA, Ala., Sept. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Affinity Empowering, Inc., a leading provider of the most sophisticated and secure occupational, behavioral, and direct-to-consumer health services, today announced that The Capitol School in Tuscaloosa, Ala. has been enrolled in Operation Expanded Testing (OET) and will begin providing no-cost COVID-19 tests to students, teachers and staff this Thursday, September 2, marking the first official testing under OET in Alabama. OET is a federally funded program to provide no-cost, "click and go" COVID-19 surveillance testing to K-12 schools, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), summer school programs, correctional facilities, homeless shelters, select non-profit community centers, and more. OET uses polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing, the gold standard for COVID-19 detection, and a pooled testing system that allows for results to be typically returned within 24 hours.

The Capitol School is a Multiple Intelligence School founded in 1993 whose mission is to educate responsible citizens of the world. The Capitol School is the only school requiring vaccinations for all faculty, staff and students aged 12+ in the state of Alabama. The school has implemented many safety measures as part of a layered strategy, including a mask requirement for all teachers and students ages 2.5 - 18 since June 1, 2020, UV Light treatment, medical grade air filtration, ionization air purification, and Rainbow Air Ozone machines. COVID-19 testing is required for faculty and optional for all students, preschool to 12^th grade, and will occur weekly under OET beginning this Thursday, September 2.

Interested representatives of K-12 schools and other eligible community organizations are encouraged to visit https://www.affinitytesting.com or to contact Affinity Empowering (email: [email protected], phone: 1-844-631-0469) to learn more about and sign up for the program.  

Media Invitation

Media representatives are invited to The Capitol School campus this Thursday, September 2, to cover the first school in Alabama to enroll into OET, the federal COVID-19 testing program, and to implement a COVID-19 vaccination mandate. The testing will occur on the outdoor porch, located at 2918 6^th Street, Tuscaloosa, AL 35401, between 7:30 AM – 9:00 AM for pre-school and between 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM for high school seniors and faculty. The next testing date will be the following Friday, September 10, for those unable to attend. Capitol School faculty and students being tested for COVID-19 under OET will be available for interviews and news footage, as well as medical professionals who are parents of students and are volunteering to oversee test collection.

"Capitol School's number one priority is the safety of our community. Implementing a layered strategy to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 enabled us to maintain in-person learning last school year and, with the emergence of the contagious Delta variant, we are utilizing every tool available to stay safe," said Dr. Barbara Rountree, School Director of The Capitol School. "We are grateful for Affinity Empowering and for the existence of a program like Operation Expanded Testing, which makes it easy for us to perform regular COVID-19 testing for our community."

"We applaud the efforts that Capitol School is taking to protect itself from COVID-19 and to set an example for other organizations in Alabama," said Anne Haslerud, Vice President of Recruitment and Enrollment at Affinity Empowering. "Operation Expanded Testing goes beyond giving money for schools to implement their own testing protocols. We send all the materials and provide the training needed to put a testing program in place. Surveillance testing – with the gold standard PCR detection method – is an important measure that will help Capitol School and other organizations stay safe and have peace of mind during this difficult time."

About Operation Expanded Testing  

Operation Expanded Testing (OET) is a federally funded program to provide no-cost, "click and go" COVID-19 surveillance testing to congregate settings, including K-12 schools, Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs), summer school programs, correctional facilities, homeless shelters, and select, non-profit community centers. COVID-19 surveillance testing is recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for the safe reopening of schools.

Affinity Empowering offers the OET program to these institutions in 26 Northeast and Southern states and additional territories on behalf of Eurofins Clinical.  Affinity and Eurofins are coordinating OET program implementation in agreement with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in coordination with the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD).

Affinity and Eurofins use PCR testing, the gold standard for accurate detection of COVID-19, and a pooled system to expedite the delivery of results. Individuals submit two samples, collected from the tip of the nose for minimal invasiveness, to avoid requiring a re-test in the event of a positive pool. Through its proprietary Assure integrated technology platform, Affinity delivers COVID-19 test results with an average turnaround time of 24 hours.

Unlike other federal programs to fund COVID-19 testing, OET has no upfront costs nor paperwork. Interested eligible parties can simply visit Affinity's OET website and click the "Enroll Today" button and provide some basic information. Affinity will then provide the resources and training necessary to establish a COVID-19 testing program at your institution. For questions or additional information, visit the website or contact Affinity's 24/7 customer service staff directly (email:  [email protected] , phone: 1-844-631-0469). 

About Affinity Empowering  

Affinity Empowering is a leading occupational health, population, and disease management life sciences organization that specializes in providing technology-based solutions and support for overall health and wellness endeavors. In addition to providing occupational health, mental health, and cutting edge, wrap around substance use support, the company also has become a major provider of COVID-19 testing. Its Return to Normalcy program provides COVID-19 consultation, support, and conducts thousands of onsite and at home testing options to safely screen, monitor, and test populations. It currently supports numerous business partners in various fields, ranging from government contracts, universities, top Fortune 100 companies, and major film and television production companies. 

For more information, please visit  https://www.affinitytesting.com  

Media Contacts:
Susan Halliday
The Capitol Schools
(205) 758-2828

Scott Stachowiak
Russo Partners, LLC
(646) 942-5630     
[email protected]

SOURCE Affinity Empowering, Inc.

Related Links

https://www.affinitytesting.com