Affinity Empowering and Eurofins Clinical to Provide Federally Funded COVID-19 Testing to Connecticut Students

Affinity Empowering, Inc., a leading provider of the most sophisticated and secure occupational, behavioral, and direct-to-consumer health services, and Eurofins Clinical Enterprise, Inc., a Eurofins Scientific company, today announced that they will provide COVID-19 testing to the summer students of the Horizons Program at Sacred Heart University (SHU) in Fairfield, Conn. as part of Operation Expanded Testing (OET). OET is a federal program that provides no-cost, "click and go" COVID-19 testing to K-12 schools, summer school programs, correctional facilities, homeless shelters, and select, non-profit community centers.

COVID-19 testing will take place this Friday, July 23 at Horizons at SHU, marking the second Horizons campus that has enrolled in OET. The two Horizons campuses in Connecticut are among the first in the nation to participate in the no-cost COVID-19 testing program. Horizons is a nonprofit organization with a mission to close the opportunity and achievement gaps for students in under-resourced communities. 

Media Invitation 

Media representatives are invited to the SHU campus this Friday, July 23, from 9 to 11 AM, to cover OET. This was rescheduled from July 9 due to Tropical Storm Elsa. Students, testing personnel, and spokespeople from Horizons, Sacred Heart, and Affinity Empowering will be available for interview. Reporters are encouraged to arrive at the entrance of the Edgerton Center for the Performing Arts. 

"This year has been incredibly challenging for our nation's students and especially for those from our own communities," said Jaime Perri, Executive Director of Horizons at SHU. "It was crucial we continued our work this summer to provide our students with the opportunity to experience success in a setting that offers an inspirational and stable learning environment and Operation Expanded Testing allows us to open our doors and feel confident our students are safe from COVID-19." 

"With the Delta variant spreading across the nation, COVID-19 testing remains a crucial part of the strategy to keep vital community programs like Horizons at SHU open," said Michael Tkach, Chief Behavioral Officer of Affinity Empowering. "Come this fall, federally funded COVID-19 testing programs will allow schools and non-profit organizations to stay open and serve their local communities." 

About Operation Expanded Testing 

Operation Expanded Testing (OET) is a federally funded program to provide no-cost, "click and go" COVID-19 surveillance testing to congregate settings, including K-12 schools, summer school programs, correctional facilities, homeless shelters, and select, non-profit community centers. Affinity Empowering, on behalf of Eurofins Clinical, offers the OET program to these institutions in 26 Northeast and Southern states and additional territories. COVID-19 surveillance testing is recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for the safe reopening of schools. Affinity and Eurofins are coordinating OET program implementation in agreement with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in coordination with the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD).

Unlike other federal programs to fund COVID-19 testing, OET has no upfront costs nor paperwork. Interested K-12 school decision makers or organization leaders can simply visit Affinity's OET website, click the "Enroll Today" button, and provide some basic information. Affinity will then provide the resources and training necessary to establish a COVID-19 testing program at your institution. Using the Assure integrated technology platform, Affinity delivers COVID-19 test results with an average turnaround time of 24 hours.

About Affinity Empowering 

Affinity Empowering is a leading occupational health, population, and disease management life sciences organization that specializes in providing technology-based solutions and support for overall health and wellness endeavors. In addition to providing occupational health, mental health, and cutting edge, wrap around substance use support, the company also has become a major provider of COVID-19 testing. Its Return to Normalcy program provides COVID-19 consultation, support, and conducts thousands of onsite and at home testing options to safely screen, monitor, and test populations. It currently supports numerous business partners in various fields, ranging from government contracts, universities, top Fortune 100 companies, and major film and television production companies.