Vermont Business Magazine CHCB is now running outreach testing with a new van. This is a subset of the Vermont Department of Health’s testing site that CHCB is staffing in South Hero. They will initially focus on reaching individuals experiencing homelessness and other vulnerable individuals throughout the Burlington area who are in congregate (shared) living situations and cannot travel to Essex or South Hero for the drive-through sites. Not only is this outreach testing good care for individuals, but when they can test people where they are and keep them from having to travel, it helps reduce viral spread in the community.
The Champlain Housing Trust generously purchased a van for this purpose and is lending it to CHCB for the duration of the COVID-19 crisis. The van has had the back seats removed for sample labeling/collection preparation and proper donning/doffing of Personal Protective Equipment. The investment in this new process is well-supported by shelter partners and other homeless liaisons in the community. The outreach testing service began on Thursday, April 9th. As with the drive-through sites, individuals must have a referral from their medical provider in order to be tested.
Since 1971, the Community Health Centers of Burlington have provided quality health care for Vermonters regardless of financial or insurance status. One of 12 Federally Qualified Health Centers in the state, CHCB has eight locations and is one of the largest nonprofit family health and dental practices in Chittenden and Grand Isle counties. For more information on their services and programs, visit www.chcb.org.
This project is/was supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant H80CS00311, the Community Health Centers and Homeless Healthcare Program, at $3,035,000, 12 % of our funding. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.
Source: BURLINGTON, VT – CHCB 4.13.2020