Dartmouth COVID testing site shut down by health department

DARTMOUTH — State health officials have shut down a local COVID testing site run by a private company that has been subject to myriad complaints, along with several other sites run by the same company.

"Residents are urged not to visit the Center for COVID control for a COVID-19 test," a Massachusetts Department of Public Health representative told WCVB news.

The testing site at 331 State Road in North Dartmouth was set up by the Center for COVID Control, an Illinois company that, according to its website, has hundreds of testing sites offering free rapid and PCR COVID tests across the country.

Reporting from the USA Today network has found the Center for COVID Control has been subject to serious complaints in places across the country, including Illinois, New York and Washington state. People have accused the company of running scam sites that provide delayed and inaccurate test results and are primarily designed to harvest their personal information.

On Thursday, a "closed" sign was hung outside of the Dartmouth testing site and a letter envelope was tucked into the door.

DPH said they determined on Wednesday that the company's three Massachusetts locations did not have the required state permits or registration, after both they and the Office of the Attorney General received complaints about its operations. The department has since issued cease and desist letters ordering the Center for COVID Control to stop providing tests.

Along with the state order to shut down, the Dartmouth site has also been told by the local Board of Health to stop operations.

Chris Michaud, Dartmouth’s Director of Public Health, said that, to the best of his knowledge, the testing site first began operating in town in October of last year. His office received a few complains over the past several weeks about the site around issues like delayed results and a lack of social distancing at the site, matters that are outside his office’s purview.

But earlier this week, they received a concerning complaint that was under the Board of Health’s jurisdiction and conducted an investigation.

Michaud said he visited the site and found the workers there who were performing tests displayed “complete unfamiliarity with the most basic of instructions in the manufacturer’s literature.”

“We were able to conclude that they were not following the protocol, and as such they were giving results that were not valid,” he said.

Michaud said that people who are symptomatic for COVID-19 who received negative test results from the Center for COVID Control site within the past week or so should consider getting re-tested elsewhere. Anyone concerned that the company might mishandle their private information should reach out to the Attorney General’s office of consumer advocacy.

He said he noticed several odd things about the way the company has operated, from the way that no one from the company has contacted him since receiving his order to shut down to the fact that the company initially emailed him last year about coming to the town from a Gmail account.

“It’s just… it’s weird,” he said. “This has just been a significant issue because it’s received so much national attention.”

On Wednesday, the Dartmouth Police Department posted a warning about "unauthorized" COVID testing sites on the department's Facebook page.

More: What's the Center for COVID Control? Questionable sites spotlight nation's thirst for quick testing

"As several testing sites are popping up nationwide, including some in our area, please remain diligent when not only choosing one, but also when providing anyone with personal information," the department wrote.

More: DPH shuts down unlicensed pop-up COVID testing site on Grafton Street in Worcester

Along with the Dartmouth site, the company has also been running sites in Worcester and Needham in Massachusetts and Smithfield and West Warwick in Rhode Island, according to its website.

Google reviews for the Dartmouth location were filled mostly with complaints about the site, including claims that they frequently ran out of supplies and took weeks to update clients with their test results.

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"Get there at 10am and get refused because they are all out of tests," one person wrote about the site, which according to the website is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends.

"I went to get a COVID test on 12/20/21. I waited three hours to finally get tested. Right now it is Jan 2, 2022 and I still have not gotten my results. I need it to go back to work and might do another one because I still have not gotten anything. I called multiple times and no one is ever available," wrote another.

In a statement, the Center for COVID Control said a surge in demand for testing has "stressed staffing resources" at its testing locations.

"To this end, and to ensure the highest customer service and diagnostic quality, the company is announcing today it will temporarily pause further collection of patient specimens effective Friday, January 14, 2022, with plans to reopen Saturday, January 22, 2022," the company said.

During the pause in operations, the company will focus on "additional staff training in sample collection and handling, a refocus on customer service and communication practices, and ensure compliance with regulatory guidelines," according to the statement.

The statement said the company is "responding to queries from several public health and regulatory agencies" but did not acknowledge that Massachusetts health officials have forced them to shut down.

Material from WCVB was used in this report.

Audrey Cooney can be reached at acooney@heraldnews.com. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Herald News today.

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Dartmouth COVID testing site shut down by health department