James Margiotta, Senior Vice President, CVS Health
The ongoing uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic has altered plans many organizations had to return to work and safely gather people together. What the future of work, education and events will look like continues to evolve — leaving space and opportunity to reimagine processes that better support the way organizations operate.
Every organization faces its own unique challenges when bringing employees, students, groups or event guests together safely in person. That’s why we built Return Ready by CVS Health® — a program that leverages both our knowledge and reach to provide comprehensive, on-site COVID-19 testing solutions as organizations navigate this ever-changing landscape.
At the start of the pandemic, many organizations focused on preventing the spread of the disease through enhanced safety and cleaning protocols. However, as we learned more about COVID-19, planning evolved towards adding efficient and accurate testing strategies, requiring new forms of logistical planning.
Remaining agile has helped customers maintain a sense of normalcy at every stage of the pandemic, even as COVID-19 continues to mutate and guidelines continue to evolve. Creating a “new normal” will continue to require a balance between clinical guidelines and careful preparation.
Getting started with Return Ready
Every business has unique requirements and we are constantly evolving our Return Ready offerings to meet client needs. One of the first and most important steps when building a Return Ready program is conducting a thorough investigation of our client’s existing strategies to truly customize our offerings.
With each client, the Return Ready team hosts exploratory meetings to understand existing processes, logistics and challenges to build a custom, clinically sound testing experience. These initial meetings are critical to bringing stakeholders together, evaluating potential hurdles and building solutions tailored to each individual client. As a result, organizations receive reliable, accurate and comprehensive testing programs to keep themselves and their communities safe.
Changing course
At times, even when a company believes they have a baseline understanding of its requirements, our conversations provoke new insights. For example, if a company requires a testing solution for 200 people, several factors can influence the result. As we’ve learned more about the spread of COVID-19, our team has explored how the volume of air inside a testing room is exchanged and what filtration systems need to be put in place to ensure safe environments. We’ve evaluated if locations meet the criteria for a safe, comfortable testing experience related to the number of patients visiting the site, or if outdoor testing is required. Whether an organization is best served on-site, at a local retail location, or from home, we consistently employ a mindset of what’s logistically possible and clinically sound to stay agile and serve our customers.
Ultimately, remaining flexible is key. We must build programs that do not simply respond to the pandemic as it impacts us today but embed ongoing, considered protections into an organization as it moves forward.
Building a new normal
How this new era unfolds will depend on the types of hybrid experiences organizations create and how managers adapt. By building formal testing programs today that define these guardrails and ensure both clinical and logistical reliability, organizations can demonstrate stability for their teams, students and guests.
With our dynamic solutions, participants can be reassured knowing their experience is supported by the latest clinical protocols and the logistical expertise of CVS Health. Contact us to learn more about how Return Ready by CVS Health can meet your organization’s unique COVID-19 testing needs.