Affinity Empowering Enrolls First Rescue Mission for No-Cost COVID-19 Testing Through Operation Expanded Testing

ALEXANDRIA, Va. and BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Sept. 20, 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 Brother Bryan Mission in Birmingham, Ala. has been enrolled in Operation Expanded Testing (OET), marking the first rescue mission enrolled in the OET program through Affinity Empowering.

Founded in 1940, the Brother Bryan Mission is a men's rescue mission that seeks to minister to the economically, emotionally, and spiritually impoverished in the central Alabama area. The mission's goal is for each client to return to the community free from addiction, with stable employment and housing, and with healthy relationships towards God and others. The mission enrolled in Operation Expanded Testing to safely admit new applicants and manage any potential outbreaks in the mission.

"We have done our best to keep COVID-19 at bay, but we recognize that our shared living accommodations put our community at risk. On top of that, people without housing often lack identification, preventing them from getting tested for COVID-19 elsewhere," said Jim Etheredge, Executive Director of the Brother Bryan Mission. "The availability of regular COVID-19 testing through Operation Expanded Testing will allow us to screen any new applicants for the virus and appropriately respond to any positive cases before they have a chance to spread. So many people depend on our services; closing our doors is not an option. Having this tool available has contributed positively to our community at the mission."

"We commend the Brother Bryan Mission for taking this important step to protect its community.  Surveillance COVID-19 testing, especially when conducted with the gold standard PCR method of detection, is a very effective tool to mitigate the risk of this virus," said Anne Haslerud, Vice President of Recruitment and Enrollment at Affinity Empowering. "Testing through OET is convenient, highly accurate, has a short turnaround time for results, and is a more comfortable experience than other COVID-19 tests – all great reasons for an organization to enroll."

Advantages of Operation Expanded Testing

Affinity Empowering offers the OET program on behalf of Eurofins Clinical. Affinity and Eurofins use PCR testing, the gold standard for accurate detection of COVID-19. The PCR test used in OET has 100% sensitivity and specificity, meaning that there are no false positives or false negatives. It also has the lowest limit of detection for any authorized COVID-19 test, enabling detection of COVID-19 at its earliest stages when viral load is low.

While testing, individuals submit two samples - collected from the tip of the nose for minimal invasiveness. One sample from each individual is pooled together to expedite sample analysis. If a pool shows a positive result, the individual secondary samples from that pool are immediately analyzed. This scheme avoids the need for sample recollection and lowers the overall turnaround time for results. Through its proprietary Assure integrated technology platform, Affinity delivers COVID-19 test results with an average turnaround time of 24 hours.

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), correctional facilities, homeless shelters, and select, nonprofit community centers through July 2022. COVID-19 surveillance testing is recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for the safe reopening of schools.

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

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

David Melamed
Russo Partners, LLC
(212) 845-4225
[email protected]

SOURCE Affinity Empowering, Inc.

Related Links

https://www.affinitytesting.com