New ‘crush the curve’ effort launches to get Idaho’s essential workers coronavirus tests
Tommy Ahlquist decided Thursday that it was time to try something new.
Idaho’s coronavirus outbreak was growing, and so was the number of people who couldn’t get tested for COVID-19 — or who said they were waiting days or even two weeks for their test results.
Ahlquist got to work that night and, five days later, announced the “Crush the Curve Idaho” initiative that he says will open the door to more coronavirus testing for Idahoans. The initiative will allow at least 1,000 people to be tested per day, starting Wednesday, a news release said.
Ahlquist, a former emergency physician, is CEO of BVA Development. To get started, Ahlquist placed an order for supplies to run 100,000 tests.
“If we’re not testing people, we’re just lost,” Ahlquist said.
The goal of Crush the Curve Idaho is to ramp up testing availability and better coordinate testing across the state. The goal is to limit the spread of the virus and to allow front-line workers to return to their jobs — taking care of sick patients, screening other patients for the virus, helping to feed people who are in isolation and keeping society afloat.
It may also offer a window into the true size of Idaho’s COVID-19 pandemic. How many people were infected without symptoms? How many were infected but couldn’t get tested? How close are we to establishing herd immunity?
At first, the initiative seeks to diagnose more cases, so people know they are infected and can notify others. Eventually, it will include antibody testing, to sort out which Idahoans may have developed immunity to the new coronavirus.
“Testing is the way out of this, period,” Ahlquist said. “There is no other way out of it. ... There is no other way to get people back to work.”
The initiative has support from business leaders around the state, as well as mayors, Ahlquist said.
Boise Mayor Lauren McLean said she supports the effort as one way to help the community, and the state, emerge from the coronavirus crisis.
“At all levels of government, and all levels of business, we’re hearing that we need to get more testing in our state,” McLean said. “We need to embrace any partnership and any effort (to increase testing) so we can isolate the virus and contain the spread.”
Can I get tested?
Maybe. As the initiative gets up and running, testing is available to essential workers.
These essential workers get priority: Health care workers who do direct patient care, first responders, grocery store and convenience store workers, home health and senior care workers, food service workers and delivery drivers who interact with the public.
Anyone who is interested can go to crushthecurveidaho.com to see if they’re eligible and get more information.
Ahlquist said he hopes to expand eligibility as the initiative gathers more resources. Testing will be done by several out-of-state private laboratories at first, but Ahlquist says his team is working with Idaho businesses to get machines that are already in Idaho set up to run COVID-19 tests.
Local health care providers and hospitals continue to do coronavirus testing, working with state and local health authorities and both state-run and private labs. Anyone who doesn’t qualify for a test right now under Crush the Curve Idaho can still contact a health care provider.
“This initiative is targeting employees with mild symptoms who are on the front line, at risk every day and do not have access to testing,” Ed Castledine, CEO of Saltzer Health, said in a news release.
In the Treasure Valley, Saltzer Health will administer tests at their two Nampa urgent care locations “and remotely by arrangement at the workplace where appropriate,” the news release said.
Health care organizations and other companies can work with the initiative to get more help with testing demand, it said.
Patients will get their test results within two days, the news release said. Test results for positive cases will be shared with public health agencies, to allow them to do contact tracing and epidemiology work.
Who’s behind the Crush the Curve effort?
In addition to Saltzer and Ball Ventures/BVA, the following business are listed as founding members:
Albertsons
Tovuti
Clearwater Analytics
Jacksons Food Stores
Blue Cross of Idaho
Idaho Central Credit Union
Teton Auto Group
B&T Hospitality
Old Boise
Zennify
Woodgrain
Athlos Academies
A10 Capital
Brighton Corp.
Ahlquist said the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare is aware of the initiative.
“They have been supportive of our efforts, and they are going to focus on what they are doing in the state to combat this virus,” he said.
