BRIA of Geneva receives on-site rapid COVID-19 testing system

GENEVA – BRIA of Geneva, and nine other BRIA Health Services facilities, have each received rapid COVID-19 testing systems, due to delays from public and private labs. According to a news release, the newly-acquired testing will allow the company to more quickly test and confirm cases of COVID-19, and influenza, among staff and residents.

As of July 31, the Illinois Department of Public Health listed BRIA of Geneva with 26 deaths and 135 cases of the coronavirus.

According to the news release, BRIA’s COVID-19 task force has implemented a three-phase testing strategy, which is proving effective in controlling transmission at its facilities. It conducts baseline testing at all facilities and provides ongoing surveillance testing for staff and residents in facilities with no current COVID-19 cases.

In cases where a positive test result is returned, the facility conducts continual retesting until no cases are detected for two sequential rounds over a 28-day period, or two full cycles of the COVID-19 incubation period, the release stated.

For residents who test positive for COVID-19, BRIA facilities have established isolation units that have been staffed by care teams applying intensive contact and droplet precautions. Staff in these units have been outfitted with and extensively trained on how to wear personal protective equipment and maintain strict entry and exit protocols to the area.

“Rapid and continual testing of nursing home residents and staff is the key to controlling potential outbreaks, but federal and public health agency testing resources have been slow to materialize at best,” Dr. David Hines, a board certified infectious disease expert and co-chair of BRIA’s COVID-19 Task Force, in the news release. “It’s clear BRIA had to take matters into our own hands to ensure the safety of our residents and staff.”

The testing plan is also key to ensuring BRIA facilities can continue to host outdoor visits for residents and their families. To allow for outdoor visits, each BRIA facility had to meet a set of criteria its COVID-19 task force developed in consultation with public health authorities to ensure it continues to control the transmission of COVID-19.

Residents and visitors must wear a face covering at all times and are required to stay in designated visit areas.