NYC Test & Treat Corps’ Mobile “Test to Treat” Program Immediately Provides Paxlovid to Over 1,000 New Yorkers
Mobile Test to Treat units, which have administered nearly 30,000 tests since launching in late June, now distribute Paxlovid on site
Aug 17, 2022
The NYC Test & Treat Corps announced today that its first-in-the-nation mobile Test to Treat program has prescribed Paxlovid to over one thousand New Yorkers who received their prescriptions immediately after testing positive for COVID-19. In addition, 30 mobile Test to Treat units now distribute Paxlovid on site, further expediting New Yorkers’ connection to life-saving treatment.
“Treatment against COVID-19 is a game changer. Our mobile Test to Treat program furthers our mission by bringing these new lifesaving medications equitably to every community,” said Dr. Ted Long, Executive Director of the NYC Test & Treat Corps and Senior Vice President, Ambulatory Care and Population Health, NYC Health + Hospitals. “Our unique one-stop-shop model that connects you to treatment minutes after you test positive shows how far we’ve come in the fight against COVID-19, and shows the powerful tools we now have to keep our city safe.”
“Mobile Test to Treat locations bring New Yorkers, including those experiencing homelessness, immediate connections to treatment no matter where they live, their insurance status or their ability to pay,” said Helena Keown and Nixxi Chen, Senior Managers of the NYC Test & Treat Corps mobile testing program. “The program’s expansion to 36 mobile units would not be possible without the ingenuity and commitment of our staff and healthcare heroes, many of whom have served on the frontlines of the pandemic for over two years. We are proud to provide our fellow New Yorkers life-saving care and to support them day in and day out in the fight against COVID-19.”
New Yorkers who test positive for COVID-19 at one of the over 30 mobile Test to Treat units will be offered the opportunity to engage with an onsite clinician and, if eligible, walk away with free Paxlovid anti-viral medication provided onboard the mobile unit . The mobile Test to Treat fleet includes six units operated by the Street Health Outreach + Wellness (SHOW) program, a mobile health initiative focused on treating New Yorkers experiencing homelessness and those historically disconnected from care.
Since the mobile Test to Treat program’s launch on June 30, mobile Test to Treat staff have tested nearly 30,000 New Yorkers for COVID-19. Of those New Yorkers tested, 4,600 tested positive, 1,300 were found eligible for Paxlovid and over 1,000 were immediately prescribed and received Paxlovid— approximately 75% of eligible patients. In addition, to ensure deployments are reaching New Yorkers most in need, 75% of mobile Test to Treat locations have been established in neighborhoods the City’s Taskforce on Racial Inclusion and Equity (TRIE) determined were hardest hit by the pandemic.
Mobile Test to Treat units are currently deployed at the locations listed here. New Yorkers can visit nyc.gov/covidtest to find the city-run testing site nearest and most suitable to them, including by filtering testing sites by Test to Treat, mobile testing or at-home test distribution locations.
In addition to the mobile Test to Treat program, the city’s unique 24/7 COVID-19 Hotline, 212-COVID-19, provides New Yorkers who test positive — including those using an at-home test — an immediate connection to a clinician who can prescribe treatments. After a short assessment, these clinicians can refer patients to monoclonal antibody treatment or prescribe antiviral medications, like Paxlovid, and arrange to have it delivered to their home that same day. The city’s COVID-19 Hotline, which utilizes NYC Health + Hospitals’ Virtual ExpressCare platform to connect patients to clinicians, has connected over 18,000 New Yorkers to Paxlovid, providing approximately 12% of all Paxlovid prescriptions issued across New York City.
There are currently nearly 400 sites to access testing across New York City, including mobile units offering rapid and PCR testing, hospital PCR testing sites and at-home test distribution sites. The NYC Test & Treat Corps will continue to work hand in hand with community partners to ensure testing deployments reach New Yorkers in neighborhoods most impacted by COVID-19 and to coordinate closely with DOHMH to make data-informed decisions.
Multiple COVID-19 treatments are available for people ages 12 and older and can be delivered to New Yorkers’ homes for free. For more information on COVID-19 treatments, please call 212-COVID19 and press 9 or visit nyc.gov/health/covidtreatments.
About the NYC Test & Treat Corps
The NYC Test & Treat Corps is the city’s comprehensive effort to respond to COVID-19 by providing New Yorkers accessible, no-cost testing, rapid connections to COVID-19 treatments and resources to support those recovering from Long COVID. Through a partnership with NYC Health + Hospitals and the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the NYC Test & Treat Corps provides New Yorkers equitable, widespread access to the critical tools for COVID-19 testing and treatment.
About NYC Health + Hospitals
NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest public health care system in the nation serving more than a million New Yorkers annually in more than 70 patient care locations across the city’s five boroughs. A robust network of outpatient, neighborhood-based primary and specialty care centers anchors care coordination with the system’s trauma centers, nursing homes, post-acute care centers, home care agencies, and MetroPlus health plan—all supported by 11 essential hospitals. Its diverse workforce of more than 43,000 employees is uniquely focused on empowering New Yorkers, without exception, to live the healthiest life possible. For more information, visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org and stay connected on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NYCHealthSystem or Twitter at @NYCHealthSystem