The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) has no-cost antigen tests they would like to share with retail businesses that are interested in screening their employees for COVID-19. The Department of Health and Human Services will also arrange an orientation call with any NCRMA member to discuss what you need to do to request and receive the free tests from DHHS. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has a supply of Abbott BinaxNOW rapid, point-of-care antigen testing supplies available to support testing efforts to quickly identify and respond to cases of COVID-19. Facilities interested in receiving tests from the state must meet ALL the following requirements:
- CLIA Certificate — Obtain a CLIA certificate or partner with an entity with a CLIA certificate
- Physician Order — Secure a signed physician order or elect to use the Statewide Order
- PPE — Maintain an adequate supply of PPE to perform tests
- Medical Waste — Adhere to standards to properly handle and dispose of medical waste
- Training — Ensure all testing personnel have completed BinaxNOW training
- Reporting — Verify ability to complete DHHS reporting requirements. Reporting methods can be found at Getting Started with Automated Reporting.
- Quarantine & Isolation Support – Provide the necessary quarantine and isolation guidance for all individuals with suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 or who are close contacts of a COVID-19 case
Request process: All facilities that meet the above requirements may apply to request tests via the request form.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Leigh Knotts at 803-243-7207.