HELENA — The start of Carroll College’s Spring 2021 semester looked a lot like the start of the Fall 2020 semester.
Students took COVID-19 tests and followed precautions throughout campus, but now Carroll College is using a local resource for faster test turnaround times.
Students have a new test for COVID-19 this semester, a saliva test, making it quick and easy for all at Carroll College. However rather than waiting days for results from a lab in Colorado, all tests are analyzed locally in Helena at Shodair Children’s Hospital.
"I am so grateful to Shodair Children's Hospital for working with Carroll College and helping us thrive using this saliva direct test, which is a rapid response test with 94% accuracy," says Dr. John Cech, Carroll College President.
Shodair should have results within 24 hours of the test. Over the first week of the semester, the college tested 700 students.
Dr. Cech says the impact of this new partnership will also have benefits for the community.
"Our students are everywhere. They're interning with businesses, the legislature, they're working in the hospitals,” says Dr. Cech. “So, if we can keep our students and this campus safe, it helps keep Helena safe."
"It feels good to help get test results as fast as possible to make all of our operations easier and not have to depend so much on waiting days and days sometimes for results,” says Corbin Schwanke, Chief Administrative Officer for Genetics at Shodair. “In the end, we all benefit from that."
Carroll College did not mention any capacity limits to the new tests.
Every Monday and Tuesday, all students, staff, and faculty are eligible to take a free COVID-19 test.
Shodair Children's Hospital mentioned to MTN News they are open to partnerships with more organizations in the community.
To learn more about a partnership with Shodair, you may contact Alana, Chief Communications Officer at Shodair:
Office: (406) 444-7561
Email: alistoe@shodair.org