Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart announced that a mobile COVID-19 testing site opened today at the jail for Sheriff’s Office staff, in partnership with The New Roseland Community Hospital.
The site will test up to 50 employees today. Starting tomorrow, the site will test up to 100 employees a day for COVID-19. Test results, which will include antibody information, will be available within 24 to 48 hours. The effort is aimed at helping to reduce the spread of the virus among staff and individuals in custody at the jail. Asymptomatic first responders can receive the test.
“Our brave staff are on the front lines of this global pandemic,” Sheriff Dart said. “This testing site provides answers for them. For that we are incredibly grateful to the dedicated staff of The New Roseland Community Hospital and to its innovative CEO Tim Egan.”
“The New Roseland Community Hospital is providing a game-changing serology test for COVID-19 in our own lab,” New Roseland Community Hospital President & CEO Tim Egan said. “Despite our never ending lack of funding, we are on the front lines of the fight to flatten the curve. We are proud to provide this service to our Cook County Sheriffs.”
The addition of mobile testing for staff is one of numerous efforts the Sheriff’s Office has undertaken to help confront the unprecedented global pandemic since even before the virus started rapidly spreading in the Chicago area. Other important initiatives have included early screening and testing of individuals in custody, the creation of an off-site, 500-bed quarantine and care facility for individuals in custody, and increasing access to important sanitation supplies.
Sheriff’s front-line staff receive appropriate PPE and supervisors take each staff member’s temperatures prior to starting their shift. All staff are encouraged to self-monitor for symptoms, consult with their physician, and not report to work if they feel ill. Staff are urged to inform their supervisor if they become ill while at work, and to leave work and seek medical attention.