FIU and Curative launch walk-up COVID-19 testing on campus

FIU is partnering with Curative to expand COVID-19 testing by opening an on-campus walk-up testing station for students, faculty and staff.

Starting today, COVID-19 tests are administered at the new station at no cost to those being tested and results will be sent to patients via private portal within 24-48 hours. The testing station is located in front of the Student Health Center at MMC. Hour of operation are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Please note this testing station is a walk-up only; there is no designated parking in the vicinity. To make an appointment at the Curative station, please visit Curative.com.

Increased testing is available just in time for members of the campus community to get tested before spending time with family during Thanksgiving and other holidays.

“In Curative we have found an ideal partner to offer our students, faculty and staff additional easy access to COVID-19 testing,” said Dr. Eneida Roldan, CEO of the FIU HealthCare Network and the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine (HWCOM) associate dean who serves as clinical director for the testing site FIU operates in collaboration with Miami-Dade County at the Fairgrounds and the new testing station. “FIU has been a leader on the frontlines since this pandemic has hit the U.S. Today is just another testament to our commitment to the health and safety of our campus community.”

FIU also works with Curative at the drive-up testing site adjacent to MMC in partnership with Miami-Dade County, the Florida Department of Health, and the Miami-Dade County Fair & Exposition. The new mobile site offers oral fluid RT-PCR molecular tests, which are “the current gold standard for COVID-19 testing,” Roldan said.

“If a student doesn’t have a vehicle, this unit makes testing more accessible. It’s also more convenient, it’s right there as they’re walking by [the Student Health Center],” said Paola Berejuk, Curative’s growth coordinator for Florida.

The mobile testing station augments access to COVID-19 testing that is already taking place by appointment at the Student Health Clinic and at FIU Health.

At the Curative station, patients will be asked to cough into their elbow with a mask on and will then be observed and instructed by testing staff on how to swab their own mouths and seal the sample for analysis. Patients should not eat, drink, or smoke for 20 minutes prior to the test.

Curative has deployed testing stations at eight universities in Texas and one in Delaware. The FIU testing station will be staffed by Curative. Curative plans to hire local staff, especially from the FIU community, Berejuk said. Two other stations may be added at FIU in the coming weeks.