Dallas County started investigating the problem after FOX 4 reported last week that father and son, Cliff and Chris Cozby, waited more than a week to get results from the Honu site. The bid process, she explained, included questions about Honu's past performance and asked the company todisclose previousproblems that had reached a final conclusion. She specializes in data analysis. The licensed doctors, who denied any wrongdoing through their attorneys, are the ones under investigation. endstream endobj startxref In mid-June, Anderson vouched for Honu and told the city the company had tested more than 500 of his workers, according to notes from the citys phone call with Anderson. Please allow up to 30 days for DSHS to review and reply to your request. The state of Michigan signed a $42 million contractin July with aCOVID-19 testing companythat is under scrutiny in Texas for returning test results too slowly, and is accused of providingunreliabletest results to a South Dakota native American tribe. Our company has and will always operate with the utmost compliance to both federal and state regulations, he said. The doctors then allegedly received a share of insurance reimbursements a kickback. Honu set up its first testing site July 1 at the University of Dallas in Irving. Vaz, the city emergency director, said no such disclosure was made during the reference-checking process, and only came to light after The News asked about it. Contact Kristen Jordan Shamus: 313-222-5997 or kshamus@freepress.com. To date, the state, through the Texas Division of Emergency Management, has paid Honu $2.4 million for its services, according to payment records posted online. The second site run by the Texas Military Department Mobile Testing Team will be at the Eastside Sports. To make an appointment for a COVID test, call: 325-430-7603 or 325-643-3793. Many governments are turning to emergency procurements in the scramble to provide crucial services and goods related to the pandemic like testing supplies and protective gear. The state of Michigan recently signed a $42 million contract with Honu, which is expected to begin testing there within a few weeks. Honus application also said another company called mLife helped gain White House approval for Honus coronavirus testing program. mLife Diagnostics President Hunt Allred said mLife sent Honus information to contacts in D.C., but isnt sure what happened from there. hbbd```b``d7X "c"Ac ;?H2x`sl We want them to be accurate and timely, Jenkins said. Honu was the only company that fit the bill out of about a dozen the city had approached, according to city officials. "All state contracts include clauses that allow for separation for cause or convenience," she said, "and MDHHS will carefully monitor Honus performance, including its timeliness, and take action if problems arise.". The mega sites have a daily capacity of 1,000 and will operate until 4 p.m. each day. Sender Address. Get Results with . You could have gotten them there faster in a backpack on a bicycle than they were getting them there, Jenkins said. Stay informed with a detailed weekly report on DFWs evolving healthcare industry. After waiting 10 days for an inconclusive test result, shes still not sure if she had the virus. Honu promised results within 72 hours. Contractors will be required to schedule appointments and manage all logistics involved in providing mobile vaccinations. Anderson confirmed Honu did perform the work, including sending staff to Andersons business to test employees. In June, Honus laboratory partner in California returned false positives to nursing homes in Dallas County and other parts of Texas, state officials said, setting off a rush to isolate frail residents. Honu also answered questions from the countys health department about their testing capabilities, she said. Absent a national testing program, state and local governments are taking on much of this crucial work themselves. No spam, ever. endstream endobj 1024 0 obj <>/Metadata 89 0 R/OCProperties<>/OCGs[1043 0 R]>>/Outlines 126 0 R/PageLayout/SinglePage/Pages 1017 0 R/StructTreeRoot 171 0 R/Type/Catalog>> endobj 1025 0 obj <>/ExtGState<>/Font<>/Properties<>/XObject<>>>/Rotate 0/StructParents 0/Tabs/S/Type/Page>> endobj 1026 0 obj <>stream Both the city and county planned to pay Honu using a portion of the $500 million in federal aid the local governments received from Congress as part of its coronavirus relief package. "Honu shadowed the National Guard at some testing events in early August," said Lynn Sutfin, a spokeswoman for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. When youre in a crisis, this is a time when you go with only the most reliable companies and the companies you know are going to deliver.. The city and county of Dallas will end their joint agreement with a Washington-based company that was hired to run a publiccoronavirustesting site after the turnaround time for results was taking nearly twice as long as before, Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkinssaid late Monday. Dallas has canceled its $14 million contract with Honu. 235 0 obj <>/Filter/FlateDecode/ID[<8763DAC2B36949EDBEB7040E1499219C><09BE46F66F2F17459397F1020D978FC3>]/Index[216 32]/Info 215 0 R/Length 95/Prev 52306/Root 217 0 R/Size 248/Type/XRef/W[1 2 1]>>stream The effects also could lead to the development of new conditions, such as diabetes or a heart or nervous . Dressed in black scrubs and orange Nikes, Thornton talked of how he grew up in Hawaii, ended up in Washington state and went from working in medical sales to forming his own healthcare management company in 2008. CareATC provided the staffing while Honu said it provided lab testing and protective gear. Dallas County, meanwhile, has not paid any portion of its contract, said Darryl Martin, the countys administrator. Holly K. Hacker. Like at Ellis Davis, Parkland staff will completely take over the Eastfield site, including screening for eligibility, registering patients and collecting specimens. About 15% of people tested there had to wait seven or more days from the. Around the same time, the federal government began threatening to pull its support from two major drive-through sites where city and county residents could get tested for free. As Dallas County residents wait longer for COVID-19 test results at one site, leaders demand change, earlier this month found that the city missed potential, A day after powerful thunderstorms, North Texas surveys the damage, 3 children killed, 2 wounded at Ellis County home; suspect in custody, How a Texas districts reaction to school shooting fears highlights discipline concerns, Carrollton man advertised pills on social media to entice teens to buy fentanyl, feds say. The other fairgrounds testing site managed by the county's Department of Emergency Management at the Gold Lot runs through Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. . Peterson points out that DA Medical and Devin Thornton are not the targets of the Department of Health's investigation, since the agency is only authorized to investigate licensed, medical professionals. The Dallas Morning News reported that Honu misrepresented or overstated its qualifications when it proposed managing COVID-19 drive-through testing and laboratory analysis for contracts in Dallas and Dallas County. %%EOF Back to coronavirus.in.gov; Need help? Last week, The Big Bend Sentinel reported that the Washington State-based company was taking over testing sites from the National Guard after scoring a contract from the Texas Division of Emergency Management. MANISTEE -- District Health Department #10 is hosting a COVID-19 testing clinic, in partnership with Spectrum Health Ludington Hospital and the City of Ludington, at the Harbor View Marina. EN. Date and Time of Collection. Rosebud Sioux Tribal President Rodney Bordeaux said he doesnt recall that any had symptoms. Is Dallas becoming unaffordable due to rising housing costs, inflation and stagnating pay? The second omicron variant comes into focus. Does that mean Honu is free to operate, unregulated? Site Type 6 will be bid out to the awarded contractors on an as needed basis upon determination by the state. According to city officials, Honu transported patient samples from its testing sites to a lab near Austin using FDA-approved procedures. The most common reason for delay in receiving results is inaccurate or out-of-date personal information on record with your health care providers or in your Labcorp Patient portal personal profile. Sutfin said the state will "carefully monitorHonus performance, including its timeliness, and take action if problems arise. We continue to monitor Honus performance, Rubio said. Thompson Technologies, statewide, homebound, community mobile sites; seasonal agriculture; and shelters and vulnerable populations - $15,000,000. The change takes effect Aug. 28 at Dallas College Eastfield Campus in Mesquite, Jenkins said. Log in with your date of birth to view your test results. Dallas city officials said they followed proper vetting procedures. Testing is free and available to members of the community with or without COVID-19 symptoms. All rights reserved. The latest information is available atMichigan.gov/CoronavirusandCDC.gov/Coronavirus. Please write in "COVID-19 under the TEST REQUESTED section. Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins has reported 787 new COVID-19 cases and 10 deaths on Tuesday, though 550 of them are backlogged cases from earlier this year. But CareATCs president and chief operating officer, Scott Strickland, said the company utilized Honu for a very limited time and simply bought one iPad, some protective gear and 50 coronavirus test kits which have gone unused. He previously worked at The Denver Post covering the statehouse and two presidential campaigns. As of Nov. 30, Otsego County had 3,947 COVID-19 cases and 67 deaths from the disease. That hasnt happened yet.. Given the states prior issues with NovaDX, the city and county of Dallas asked Honu to work with a different lab. Effective August 28th, @Parkland will take over the site @eastfield_dc currently run by Hanu. When youre trying to herd cats, and youre trying to get things out, that was honestly an oversight, he said. DALLAS - Dallas County is ending its contract with the company that runs one of the largest COVID-19 testing sites in North Texas. Holly works on the investigations team after many years covering education for The Dallas Morning News. "Because Honu has only conducted one testing event so far, its too soon to say how quickly their results are coming back as a general matter," Sutfin said, or to get a picture of the percentage of positive tests. Recovery Mobile Clinic, Regions 9 and 10, community mobile sites; and shelters and vulnerable populations - $1,400,000. For assistance.