New Covid-19 testing site opens May 18, at Allen Temple Baptist Church

Note: For those who may wish to sign up for a free Covid-19 test, Verily/Google wants you to provide them with some information.

See document below...

(LC)

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COVID-19 PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAM AUTHORIZATION FORM

Summary

In this time of emergency, organizations are stepping up, putting forth resources to support screening and testing efforts. This program was put together by multiple organizations to support such effort.

To understand whether you are eligible for a test through this program, your contact information, demographics, and survey responses will be collected. These data are also shared to help with scheduling and providing tests. Your test results will also be collected for the purposes of this public health program. All data that we collect from you will be protected, but it may be shared with people and organizations that help run this public health program.

This means that data about you (including contact information, survey responses, health insurance information, and test results) may be shared with third parties. These include the entity administering the program and its contractors, Verily and its contractors, individuals and organizations that assist with the testing program (like healthcare professionals and clinical laboratories) and public health authorities, which may include federal, state, and local health authorities. Please read this in its entirety for further information.
Background

Public health and healthcare professionals are responding to an outbreak of respiratory disease caused by a novel (new) coronavirus that was first detected in China and which has now been detected in more than 100 locations internationally, including in the United States. The virus has been named "SARS-CoV-2" and the disease it causes has been named "coronavirus disease 2019" (abbreviated "COVID-19").

Verily, the Alphabet company focused on life sciences and healthcare, has offered to support public health efforts by providing its data collection infrastructure to help individuals understand their risk profile for COVID-19, help facilitate testing if indicated, and provide test results back to tested individuals in an efficient manner.

All program activities will be provided at no cost to you. Your health insurance plan will be charged, if applicable.

What will I need to do?
1) Complete a short survey.

This will include questions about yourself, including age, gender, home address, contact information, recent travel history, current health status, and any known contact with others who may have been exposed to SARS-CoV-2.

2) For those deemed eligible for testing with this program, schedule an appointment to go to a local facility to provide a test specimen.

Based on your survey results, if you are identified as eligible for testing under this program for COVID-19 disease, you will be asked to provide a nasal biospecimen.
You will be asked to schedule an appointment at a local facility. You may be contacted directly to schedule this appointment or this may be facilitated through an app or web portal.

After you schedule your appointment, you will be asked if you are covered by a health insurance plan, and if yes, to provide the details of your insurance provider, including the policy number, group ID number, and if applicable, the primary insurance holder's name, address, phone number, and date of birth.

3) Go to the test facility at your assigned time for the test swab.

At the test facility, you will need to bring a form of identification to confirm your identity prior to performing the swab collection.

A trained healthcare professional will guide you through the swabbing process. The swab collection may be performed using a nasopharyngeal (NP) swab or through a self-collected nasal (posterior nares) swab.
Nasopharyngeal Swab: This will be done by having you tilt your head back while a trained healthcare member inserts a sterile cotton swab into your nostril towards the back of your nose. The swab will be inserted to a depth about the distance from your outer nose to the outer opening of the ear. Once inserted, it will be held in place for a few seconds then slowly removed with mild rotation. This may cause temporary discomfort.
Self-Collected Nasal Swab: This will be done by having you insert the swab in the right mid-nostril, rotate the swab twice and hold it in place for 15 seconds. You will then insert the same swab in the left mid-nostril, rotate it twice and hold it in place for 15 seconds. Once completed, you will then open the transport media vial and place the swab in the vial, break the shaft of the swab at the marking and then close the vial.
Your sample will be coded and associated with the data you provided in your survey.
Your sample will be tested by a clinical laboratory to determine if your sample is either positive or negative for SARS-CoV2.

4) Follow recommended guidelines based on results of your lab testing.

The lab results will be provided directly to you via email, text, phone call or through an app or web portal. The testing may take a few days and results will be returned to you when available.
In addition, results of your test will be provided to public health authorities, which may include federal, state, and local health authorities.


How will my data be protected?

Privacy is a top priority.

Your data will be kept in a secure, encrypted database with restricted, monitored access
This database complies with applicable state and federal laws that protect the privacy and security of your health information


Who will access my data and in what form?

The data collected from you through this program will be shared with entities that assist with the testing program, which includes, but is not limited to, Verily Life Sciences, Verily's contractors, the site operator (the entity that operates and runs the testing site) and the site operator's contractors, the healthcare professionals who collect your specimen, the clinical laboratory that processes your specimen, federal, state, and local health authorities, and other entities that assist with the testing program. The information collected will be used to perform the test, administer and improve the testing program, and for public health purposes.

Your health insurance information will be shared with the healthcare professionals who order your laboratory test or collect your sample and the clinical laboratory that processes your specimen for the purpose of submitting claims for reimbursement to your health insurer for certain services provided through this program.

In addition, your survey responses and test results will be provided to Verily, and may be further shared with the clinical laboratory performing the testing, and public health authorities. Public health officials may use this information to inform public health actions to help protect our community. Verily will not use your data for research purposes without your permission. In the future, you may be invited to share data collected during this process for research purposes.

Verily leverages certain technology and services from Google, including cloud services, security services, data storage, website hosting, and other support functions. Google's access to data is strictly limited to the purpose of providing such services. Your data collected by Verily through the services described in this authorization form will never be joined with your data stored in Google products without your explicit permission.

Does it cost me anything?

This survey and lab test will be provided at no cost to you. The health insurance information is collected for the purpose of submitting claims for reimbursement to your health insurer for certain services provided through this program.



Now it's time to sign the Authorization Form.

To do so, you will be asked to log in to your Google account, like you did at the start.

Logging in acts as a legally binding signature, just as your handwritten signature, and confirms that you:

Are at least 18 years old
Have read and understood the information provided

I confirm I am at least 18 years old and have read and understood the information provided.

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Bate & switch: Free testing, but your health insurance plan will be charged, if applicable.

Whatever is happening with the Covid-19 testing profiteers, something appears to be amiss.

The City of Oakland and news reports claim that the Covid-19 testing is free.

However, in the document in the comment section above, it clearly states, "Free testing, but your health insurance plan will be charged, if applicable."

So, it has free testing, or it does not. To be free, or not to be free, that is the question.

Because it says, "your health insurance plan will be charged, if applicable," it sounds like this is a bait and switch going on, and the Covid-19 testing may not be as free as some may claim that it is.

See links to articles below...

-Lynda Carson

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Drive-Through COVID-19 Testing Site to Open in East Oakland

Testing will be available to all community members by appointment at no charge, regardless of insurance or immigration status.

By Bay City News • Published May 17, 2020 • Updated 3 hours ago

A new COVID-19 testing site is set to open Monday in East Oakland at Allen Temple Baptist Church.

The first drive-through testing location in East Oakland, the site is the result of a partnership between the city, Allen Temple, Community Organized Relief Effort and Verily, an Alphabet company, providing the Baseline COVID-19 Program platform to manage appointments.

Testing will be available to all community members by appointment at no charge, regardless of insurance or immigration status, according to a release from city officials.

Testing will be available to all community members by appointment at no charge, regardless of insurance or immigration status, according to a release from city officials.

https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/east-bay/drive-through-covid-19-testing-site-to-open-in-east-oakland/2291934/

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New testing site

OAKLAND, Calif. - A new COVID-19 testing site is set to open Monday in East Oakland at Allen Temple Baptist Church.

The first drive-through testing location in East Oakland, the site is the result of a partnership between the city, Allen Temple, Community Organized Relief Effort and Verily, an Alphabet company, providing the Baseline COVID-19 Program platform to manage appointments.

https://www.ktvu.com/news/free-drive-thru-covid-19-testing-site-opens-monday-in-east-oakland

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Oakland Expands Free Testing, Announces New Walk-up COVID-19 Testing in East Oakland

Date Posted: May 6th, 2020 @ 11:56 AM
Last Updated: May 6th, 2020 @ 12:04 PM

Oakland, CA– The City of Oakland announced Wednesday a partnership with Roots Community Health Center and the emergency relief nonprofit organization Community Organized Relief Effort (CORE) to open a new COVID-19 community-based testing site (CBTS) in East Oakland this morning, May 6. This site will also use the Baseline COVID-19 Program platform by Verily, an Alphabet company, and will pilot its use for drop-in testing onsite. This site will be one of the first walk-in only sites in the Bay Area. Testing will be provided free of charge Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 10:00am to 4:00pm. Health insurance is not required.

https://www.oaklandca.gov/news/2020/oakland-expands-free-testing-announces-new-walk-up-covid-19-testing-in-east-oakland

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