SF Metropolis Lawyer Investigating Probably Unlicensed COVID Testing Firm – CBS San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) – City Attorney David Chiu announced Tuesday his office began investigating a local COVID testing operator that could be working without a license.
Chiu recently sent a letter to testing company Community Wellness America, Inc. asking for proof that it obtained the proper licenses to operate within the city.
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In a press release, Chiu said the letter was part of a new operation with the San Francisco Department of Public Health (DPH) to track down unlicensed testing operators in the city.
“During this Omicron surge, ensuring the integrity of our COVID testing operations is of the utmost importance,” said Chiu. “Our testing capacity is stretched to the maximum right now, and there is understandable anxiety about finding a test. It is unconscionable that rogue actors would exploit that situation and set up unlicensed testing facilities to turn a quick profit. “
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Chiu’s office said that it received reports from Community Wellness America, Inc. possibly operating without a license starting Jan. 5. The company hosted testing sites near Golden Gate Park and Dolores Park among other areas, and when asked, those pop-up testing operations were unable to produce valid, up-to-date Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) licenses, according to reports.
San Francisco requires all testing operators to have a valid CLIA license issued by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which they can receive by demonstrating they use only FDA-approved COVID tests.
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“Private testing operators do not need to obtain a license from the San Francisco Department of Public Health in order to perform COVID tests in San Francisco,” Chiu’s office said. “However, if an operator intends to conduct testing on city property or block a public right-of-way, the operator must have a permit issued by the San Francisco Department of Public Works.”
