Urgent Care Is Fighting to Be Recognized in Future COVID-19 Testing Initiatives. Are You In?

As new cases of COVID-19 around the country creep up (or skyrocket, depending on where you’re located) it’s evident that there will be a surge in testing for the virus. Inexplicably, urgent care was largely overlooked as a viable partner in widespread testing when the pandemic first took off in the U.S.—but the Urgent Care Association is striving to ensure that doesn’t happen again. UCA has been collecting data on urgent care operators’ testing capabilities, and is now sharing that information with health departments, telemedicine providers, and others who will be in a position to steer patients to the nearest and safest testing location. The association plans to continue doing so and encourages urgent care centers to submit their information as soon as possible here.