Recharge & Recover PHL Updates: Testing & Contact Tracing

When the Recharge & Recover PHL task force identified key actions for regional recovery, testing and contact tracing emerged as essential strategies to combat COVID-19 and help workers safely return to their on-site activities. Convening and coordinating key stakeholders, addressing capacity and infrastructure deficiencies, identifying supply chain bottlenecks, and serving the most vulnerable are critical activities to move this work forward and the Chamber has been instrumental in facilitating this public-private initiative in Southeastern Pennsylvania.

At the request of Governor Tom Wolf, the Chamber has been working closely with his administration to coordinate bi-weekly calls with the Commonwealth’s Director of Testing, Dr. Michael Huff, along with a group of technical representatives from Chamber member health system and provider organizations. Member participants to date include Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Einstein Healthcare Network, Geisinger, HealthShare Exchange, Penn Medicine, Temple Health, Thomas Jefferson Health, and vybe urgent care.

To ensure there is comprehensive testing across Pennsylvania, the Commonwealth is reinvesting in public health infrastructure – from county and municipal health departments to health center networks to labs, drug stores, and hospitals. Coordination of these resources into the City of Philadelphia and Southeastern Pennsylvania will be an ongoing priority for our Recharge & Recover PHL effforts.

The Commonwealth is getting ahead of new rapid tests that can provide results in as little as 15 minutes. As a shift away from PCR testing to antigen and antibody testing occurs, these new technologies will continually be evaluated. While many of them are FDA-pending, the Commonwealth is keeping a compendium of new technologies that are coming out to assess their usability and cost so that they can be quickly deployed upon approval.

The Commonwealth recently asked the Chamber-organized group of health providers for feedback on its new testing strategy that will be rolling out in late October, which includes the use of 250,000 Abbott rapid antigen tests per week that Pennsylvania will be receiving from the federal government. The Governor is identifying priority populations based on infection rates and vulnerabilities; not every county will receive them, but Philadelphia will based on these criteria.

In addition, the Chamber is working with the Pennsylvania Depart of Health along with health departments from Philadelphia, Bucks, Delaware, and Montgomery counties to provide the private sector with information and input into the emerging regional contact tracing program. The Chamber is organizing a group of Chamber members that represent the Greater Philadelphia employer community — including Graboyes Commercial Window & Glass Solutions, Harrah’s Philadelphia, La Salle University, Leonardo Helicopters Philadelphia, and WSFS Bank — to inform and integrate into the tracing efforts being deployed by the Commonwealth and county governments. Among these efforts, the Commonwealth recently launched the COVID Alert PA, a secure mobile contact tracing app that allows users to opt-in to be notified if they have potentially been exposed to the virus, to track symptoms, and receive alerts from the PA COVID-19 updates.

The Chamber is continuing to coordinate public and private communication to ensure that our area hospitals and other key partners have the opportunity to ask questions, raise concerns and anticipate future challenges as the public sector continues to shape its response to the pandemic.

Testing and contact tracing are key strategies of the Recharge & Recover PHL initiative. Join regional leaders as we prioritize regional health and safety, create opportunities for displaced workers, and bolster support for Black, brown, and local businesses in a shared effort to stabilize, energize, and prepare Greater Philadelphia for a durable recovery.