At the direction of West Virginia Governor Jim Justice, Marshall University will begin testing all Huntington campus employees for COVID-19 beginning next Wednesday, Aug. 12. All employees who will be working on site must be tested by the start of the fall semester.
The testing data will give the university a baseline of disease prevalence on campus as preparations continue for the upcoming academic year and will allow public health officials to monitor trends throughout the year as surveillance testing continues.
This required test is for all faculty and staff on the Huntington campus, including auxiliary employees who work for Addeco, Aetna, A-1 Security, Follett Campus Bookstore, Marshall University Research Corporation, the Marshall Foundation, the Rec Center and Sodexo. This requirement also includes faculty and staff at the schools of Physical Therapy and Pharmacy.
Separate arrangements for testing of employees at the university’s South Charleston and Point Pleasant locations are being finalized and will be communicated in the coming days.
Marshall Health employees are not included in this round of testing. (Clarification: All School of Medicine clinical faculty also are exempt from this testing requirement. All other School of Medicine staff and non-clinical faculty need to follow the testing guidelines outlined below.)
Testing is being done at no charge to employees, but you must make an appointment online. Employees will be provided release time to be tested during work hours and are not required to use meal or break periods.
Testing will be conducted by the Cabell-Huntington Health Department at the following two on-campus locations Mondays through Fridays from 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. daily:
- The Memorial Student Center, second floor north-facing balcony, will serve as a walk-in testing site.
- The 6th Avenue Parking Garage will serve as a drive-through testing site.
You may choose your preferred testing location when you register.
The testing procedure should take less than five minutes to complete. The testing method is the nasal swab and not the rapid saliva test. Be sure to wear a mask to your appointment and arrive on time at your designated testing location. Please also bring your Marshall employee ID, if applicable.
Tests will be processed by QLabs Inc. in Charleston and employees will be able to log into a dashboard to check their testing results.
Testing information is regulated by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) guidelines and will be kept confidential. Any employee with a positive test result will be contacted by the health department and provided with directions for medical care. The university’s offices of Environmental Health and Safety and Human Resource Services also will provide guidance to any employee who tests positive and will work with the health department to initiate contact tracing protocols.
Please remember to continue to comply with all other mandatory protocols, like wearing a mask and observing appropriate physical distance, while on any Marshall University property.
If you have questions about how Marshall is prepared to handle COVID-19 as we approach the fall semester, please visit www.marshall.edu/coronavirus.