Keeping students safe

At Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida, campus life is different this semester. Masks are required everywhere; signs are posted all around — even by the pool — discouraging close gatherings. 

Second-year psychology student Rorie Good says several factors influenced her return, including a chance to have the full college experience — and Lynn’s plan for COVID-19 testing. “After weighing the risks and feeling like Lynn was handling it pretty well, I decided that it would be good to come back,” she says.

Colleges and universities face clear challenges this year: Across the country, COVID-19 outbreaks have become a public health threat on and off campuses. Eighteen- to 25-year-olds also represent around 26 percent of new COVID-19 infections — more than any other group — according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Lynn University Chief Strategy and Technology Officer Christian Boniforti says his school’s main challenge is balancing safety and health issues with students’ expectations for an academic experience that reflects college life. 

Testing was critical, so Lynn signed on with Return Ready, a customizable, scalable COVID-19 testing solution provided by CVS Health for college campuses and businesses. It allows students and employees to schedule a test anytime, at no cost, with results in minutes. The program also allows Lynn to do surveillance testing when positive cases arise.

“Because the testing results are done so quickly, it allows us to make decisions earlier, which ultimately helps control outbreaks and reduce the quarantine times,” Boniforti says.

Return Ready builds on CVS Health’s nationwide community-based COVID-19 testing infrastructure. The company has administered over five million COVID-19 tests since March and has about 4,000 testing sites across the country.

With Lynn — like every Return Ready partner — they started with a consultation, says Sree Chaguturu, M.D., chief medical officer and senior vice president for CVS Caremark. “We also work with a client to ensure that all of the reporting and analytics are provided to local and state health authorities as needed for regulatory compliance, as well as reporting back to the client so that they have timely analytics to help them understand testing trends,” he says.

While Lynn University had some positive cases, Boniforti says the school has avoided an outbreak, thanks in large part to testing and protocols: “Having a partner to do those things really allows us to focus our efforts on continuing to provide a safe learning environment for student activities and education.”