Worcester orders DPH cease & desist to unlicensed COVID testing center
Photo | Grant Welker
Worcester City Hall
The City of Worcester delivered on Thursday a cease-and-desist order from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to an unlicensed pop-up COVID testing site at 1 Rice Square, the city said on Thursday.
Dubbed the Center for COVID Control, the operation was connected to a Chicago lab not registered in Massachusetts, and the clinic, itself, was performing rapid tests without a state permit, according to the city. Other Centers for COVID Control were operating in North Dartmouth and Needham, both of which have been ordered to stop testing.
The City of Worcester said it sent an inquiry on Jan. 10 to Attorney General Maura Healey’s office regarding the clinic, after hearing complaints about how the clinic was running. Those complaints included not receiving testing results, receiving test results while still in line, and receiving incorrect test results.
DPH surveyed the Worcester site on Jan. 12, working in conjunction with the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services, which is overseeing the response. Finding the clinics were operating without state approval, the department issued cease and desists with the help of each municipality. The orders require the testing sites to immediately stop providing services requiring clinical laboratory licensure.
The City of Worcester said its inspectional services department will monitor the site and enforce the order.
Both DPH and the City of Worcester urged residents to undergo testing at legitimate testing centers, including pharmacies and the site operated by UMass Memorial Health at the Mercantile Center.
WBJ Web Partners
Most Recent
Most Recent
0 Comments