ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – An ER nurse is taking a creative approach to combating the long lines and wait times at COVID testing sites.
She’s doing it by running a testing site right from her driveway.
“My whole thing was, let’s do it for the community, and let’s see if this community accepts us,” Felicia Meyers said.
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She was talking about the pop-up COVID testing site she is running from her driveway.
Meyers said the endeavor is personal and the idea came to her after her husband had a hard time getting a COVID test.
“My husband was exposed a few times and he went to go get tested, and the wait times, he was in one of the doctor’s offices or one of the urgent care offices for over five hours just waiting for a test,” Meyers said.
So she said she came up with the idea of performing COVID testing for the community for $50 a test.
Meyers set up a tent at the end of her driveway off of Lake Underhill Road in the Waterford Lakes community.
She said it works like this-- people drive up, fill out a form that includes insurance information, and then she swabs them in their car.
Meyers said people have their results in 15 minutes and told News 6 that she then reports the results to the state.
There were some skeptics about the operation.
“They asked for my credentials, I showed them my CLIA lab certificate and let them know that we are legit, and we’re able to run the tests,” Meyers said.
Her CLIA certificate of waiver, which is what she needs according to the Agency for Health Care Administration, allows her to operate as a laboratory.
For viewers reading this story that has questions regarding the testing site, News 6 had questions as well.
News 6 reached out to the Florida Department of Health, asking if they are aware of Meyers’ operation and if they recommend it.
News 6 also asked Orange County if she had the proper permitting to be able to operate the business from her driveway.
We are awaiting answers to our questions and will update the story as we learn more.
News 6 did verify that Meyers is an RN and has a CLIA waiver.
In the meantime, Meyers said she saw a need in the community and will continue to help.