MAYOR DE BLASIO ANNOUNCES COVID-19 ANTIBODY TESTING FOR HEALTHCARE WORKERS AND FRONTLINE FIRST RESPONDERS: City will offer free antibody testing to first responders and healthcare workers through two partnerships with NYC Health + Hospitals, CDC, and U.S. Dept of Health

USANEWSONLINE.COM DESK, NEW YORK—Mayor de Blasio today announced antibody testing for first responders on the frontlines of the COVID-19 epidemic. NYC Health + Hospitals will begin offering free COVID-19 antibody tests to all of its healthcare workers across its 11 hospitals. Through a partnership with the US Department of Health and Human Services and CDC, the City will also offer testing for any healthcare worker or first responder across the FDNY, DOC, NYPD, and hospitals citywide.

“Our first responders have worked around the clock to keep New Yorkers safe from the virus,”  said Mayor Bill de Blasio.  “While antibody tests are not a fix-all solution, they will give our heroes the knowledge and confidence they need to help us defeat the virus.”

We are committed to the health and wellness of our heroic workforce during this public health crisis, and antibody testing provides our employees with additional information about their potential exposure to Covid-19,” said NYC Health + Hospitals President and CEO Mitchell Katz, MD.“This new program complements our existing system-wide employee testing program, and all tests results will be completely confidential.” 

Testing through NYC Health  + Hospitals will be prioritized for those working in high-exposure environments such as ICUs, emergency departments and labor and delivery departments. Tests will be offered on an appointment-only basis,  and available across 11 NYC Health + Hospitals locations and 7 community-based Gotham Health centers by mix-next week. Employees can schedule an antibody test appointment through a dedicated employee hotline.

Antibody testing will not be used to determine whether employees can work. Test results are confidential and will not be shared with an employee’s work supervisor or Occupational Health Services (OHS) unless employees choose to disclose this information. At full capacity, approximately 400 employees can be tested at each acute hospital each day. Press Release.