Del. Expands COVID Testing In Group Home Settings

Rapid Antigen Testing for COVID-19 will be available at Delaware group homes, day programs and other settings that serve people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The test can produce a result in 15 minutes.

The Division of Developmental Disabilities Services and Delaware Public Health will start making test kits available this month to agencies and direct support professionals who can be tested on-site.

“These testing kits are going to be a very welcomed resource to our provider community,” DDDS Director of Community Services Cory Nourie said. “Many of the individuals we support across the state have underlying health conditions that make them particularly vulnerable to COVID-19. But they also rely on the close contact and care provided to them daily by their direct support professionals and can’t always benefit from the standard tools of mask wearing and social distancing that others rely upon for staying safe. We’ve been waiting for a tool like this to be available, and I’m so excited we now have it for our provider network.”

“Getting access to rapid antigen testing is exactly what we were looking for and its use in the group home and congregate settings is a smart way to use this tool,” DPH Chief Physician Dr. Rick Pescatore said. “We’re excited to see this get out into the field and to see what impact it can have.”