The N.C. Department of Public Safety has announced it will extend until July 31 an initiative that provides voluntary COVID-19 testing to employees in its Division of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice. The initiative was expanded past its original tentative May 31 end date after the State Health Plan announced earlier this week it would extend to July 31 the time period in which state employees covered by the plan could receive COVID-19 testing at no cost.
The testing initiative occurring in collaboration with the State Health Plan, FastMed Urgent Care and LabCorp will provide more than 21,000 ACJJ employees statewide the opportunity to schedule a private appointment to be tested. Starting June 1, these tests will be conducted at all FastMed locations statewide.
Employees who work across the state in prisons or juvenile facilities, or in the community supervising juveniles and adult offenders continue to be eligible for confidential, flexible and voluntary COVID-19 testing. Effective June 1, ACJJ employees can either call into a FastMed hotline from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily or schedule the appointment online at the FastMed website. Employees will continue to access their results through LabCorp’s secure online portal.
“The Department of Public Safety would like to thank our partners — FastMed Urgent Care, LabCorp, the State Health Plan and the Department of Health and Human Services – in extending this important initiative,” said ACJJ Chief Deputy Secretary Tim Moose. “Our dedicated staff continue to face the challenges of providing public safety to our citizens through the pandemic, and their health and safety are our top priorities.“
This staff testing initiative has made testing available to employees who work for Prisons, Community Corrections and Juvenile Justice in more than 350 work sites, facilities, office settings and communities in each of the state’s 100 counties. This plan has allowed for the safe continuity of operations and confidentiality for ACJJ staff.
The total number of ACJJ employees tested and the number of positive results can be found here.