Veteran’s Memorial Center opens COVID-19 testing at lunchtime
PHOTO: At home COVID-19 tests give rapid results.
By Sofia Perez,
BlueDevilHUB.com Staff–
Healthy Davis Together has changed the lunch schedule of the COVID-19 testing center at Veteran’s Memorial Center, which now enables Davis High students to participate in testing during lunchtime.
The VMC is open for testing from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesdays to Fridays, as well as 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Saturdays. As DHS students are in class the majority of that time, they are generally only able to get tested in the morning or after school since the beginning of the school year. However, on Jan. 25, Healthy Davis Together changed the lunch break of testing center staff to a different time from DHS.
Derek Catron, supervisor of the testing site at VMC, says his superior was collaborating with Davis Joint Unified School District administrators to set up testing for DHS students during lunch. Now, when students are screened at the front doors of the VMC, they will be directed to an appointment line that prioritizes them.
However, Catron says not a lot of students come in to get tested.
“(But) there’s a big rush from 2:30-3:30 p.m.,” Catron said.
One of the biggest challenges Catron faces is being understaffed. Catron says the VMC testing center barely has enough staff to operate the site. The site needs at least 1-2 people at the door to screen people, 2-3 people to test and a couple of staff members outside for testing those who are symptomatic.
Another challenge, which Catron spends a lot of his days resolving, are the misconceptions that are widespread about COVID-19. He says misconceptions about at-home rapid tests being inaccurate causes people to risk exposing others. People who test positive with at-home tests believe they should also get tested at a facility. However, Carton says at-home COVID-19 tests are just as accurate.
“We want to help people here and help people isolate and not expose people here too,” Catron said.
Catron started working with Healthy Davis Together in December 2020, so far he has grown a connection to his work and community members. “I want to keep the Davis community safe,” Carton said.
