To Our Faculty and Staff:
As President Cowen and Provost Vinson wrote Thursday, University Health Services (UHS) is expanding its COVID-19 surveillance testing to include faculty and staff this week. The shift is possible because Case Western Reserve engaged saliva-test provider Vault Health after extensive review of potential additional vendors.
Last week, the university administered 1,102 tests to undergraduate, graduate, and professional students—a figure nearly twice as high as any single previous week. To ensure that we are able to accommodate faculty and staff without lengthy delays, we first need to get an idea of how many of you want to take part.
Please keep in mind that in volunteering for this process, faculty and staff are committing to participate in multiple administrations of these tests over time. UHS will ask that you return approximately every two weeks, except during the university’s winter break.
The university’s first priority for this testing involves those who have regular contact with students (e.g. those who teach in-person classes or interact with students in labs or other indoor spaces). We have created a webpage where you can read more about the Vault test and the university’s process.
If, after reading it, you would like to be considered for surveillance testing, please complete this form by noon tomorrow (Nov. 2). If you are selected for testing this week, you will receive an email from UHS no later than noon, Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Thank you for all of your efforts to date to keep our campus healthy.
Sara Lee, MD
Executive Director of University Health and Counseling Services
Carolyn Gregory
Vice President for Human Resources