COVID pop-up test site closed to ‘improve procedures’

By Chris Spangler

A pop-up free COVID-19 testing site in Fort Atkinson is closed this week following allegations of poor customer service at many of its affiliates. 

Jefferson County Health Department epidemiologist Samroz Jakavani confirmed that the site, located at 1000 Madison Ave., is associated with the Center for COVID Control (CCC), based in Rolling Meadows, Ill. 

It is located in the former First Choice Health and Wellness building that was purchased by LSM Chiropractic when Dr. Douglas Schildt retired last year. The building has been vacant since then, awaiting LSM’s move from its current locale.

The pop-up site closed its doors Thursday and will remain so through Friday, Jan. 21, a sign on the door states. Regular hours are 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Specifically, the sign reads: “We will be temporarily closed while we upgrade our systems and improve procedures to help meet the unprecedented demand for testing.”

The Center for COVID Control has received an “F” rating with the Better Business Bureau. The BBB of Chicago and Northern Illinois stated that it is actively looking into this company after having received numerous complaints both locally and nationwide.

“Consumers allege problems with not receiving test results, poor customer service and requesting personally identifiable information (driver’s license, insurance, etc.),” the BBB wrote on its website. 

Jakvani said that he was aware of a complaint from an area resident whose family went to be tested at the Fort Atkinson CCC site.

“We don’t have any official documentation that they did anything wrong,” he said of the CCC. “However, I know that there were some complaints about our local site and I believe the community member who reached out to us regarding those complaints also reached out to the state …”

He said the Fort Atkinson site was closed down temporarily by the parent company.

“The complaint we received alleged that it was a family that went there to get tested and the line was so long that they left; they didn’t get tested,” Jakvani said. “And they ended up getting negative results. That complaint was obviously concerning to us.”

He advised that the customer could reach out to the parent company and/or state Department of Health Services. However, no formal complaint was made on behalf of the Jefferson County Health Department.

“We’re very well aware of their performance nationwide,” Jankvani said of the CCC. “I’ve been keeping as close an eye as I can on them.”

He said that the CCC is an external entity that has to make its presence known to the county and it has been in communication with the county since opening in early December.

There is one other independent COVID-19 testing site in Jefferson County, located in the Johnson Creek Outlet Mall.

“I have not heard anything to suggest they’re not doing their best,” he said of the Johnson Creek site.

Who is the CCC?

Established in 2020, CCC is a privately-held Illinois-based operator of COVID testing center sites. CCC markets and manages more than 300 test collection sites — both brick-and-mortar locations and drive-through testing sites — across the country. 

Jakvani said that the Fort Atkinson testing site was opened by a person who is considered an affiliated site operator.

Said Jakvani: “Say I want to open a testing site in my county as a small business owner. I contact the CCC and basically act as a franchise. I apply to be one of their sites,” he said, noting that there are a number of ways to structure the partnership and the CCC makes money per test. 

“Obviously, there are testing sites of theirs that do the work properly and some sites that are not doing the work properly,” the county epidemiologist said. “To what extent they are not acting appropriately in Wisconsin, I assume that since they are closed (to update service and procedures), they are doing everything they are supposed to.”

The CCC issued a press release Thursday blaming the poor customer service on high patient demand for testing due to the surge in the Omicron variant.

“CCC acknowledges this operational strain on customer access and delivery of results/status in some locations and remains determined to provide accurate, trusted testing for our thousands of customers,” it stated. “To this end, and to ensure the highest customer service and diagnostic quality, the company is announcing today it will temporarily pause further collection of patient specimens effective Friday, Jan. 14 …”

CCC founder and CEO Aleya Siyaj said in the release that the company would provide additional staff training in sample collection and handling while refocusing on customer service and communication and ensuring compliance with regulatory guidelines.

The CCC stated in its release that customers with questions and concerns about a particular collection site or company practice are encouraged to send an email to compliance@centerforcovidcontrol.org.

Jakvani said he plans to keep watch on the CCC after it reopens for testing.

“I will continue to check in with them as I have,” he said. “Unfortunately, there is not a way for me to tell how good they’re doing at the time. But if they have a positivity rate that’s lower than everyone else, that tells me that something’s not right.”

He explained that lab test data from all COVID-19 test sites are sent to the state Department of Health Services.

“I’ll continue to monitor the data that comes through,” Jakvani said. “I can see test results by the collection site, and if I notice anything is off, I will absolutely reach out to the state or the facility to find out what’s going on.”

A related story about access to testing sites is here: https://fortatkinsononline.com/long-lines-experienced-at-covid-19-test-sites/.