BioReference is currently testing students and staff from two of the five largest school districts in the nation and is prepared to rapidly expand COVID-19 school testing to other school districts across the country
ELMWOOD PARK, N.J., March 26, 2021 — BioReference Laboratories, Inc., an OPKO Health company (NASDAQ:OPK), today announced the expansion of its COVID-19 school testing program to support the return to in-person classroom instruction across the country.
The Rockefeller Foundation announced an initiative to provide guidance on testing for K-12 schools and connect schools with laboratories and testing partners, including BioReference.
On March 17, the Biden Administration identified COVID-19 testing in schools as a critical focus in 2021, and on Wednesday, Secretary of Education Dr. Miguel S. Cardona noted his expectation that schools to be 100% open for in-person learning in the fall. Continuing COVID-19 mitigation strategies, including testing, will play an essential role in achieving this, and helping to ensure a safe classroom environment.
This expansion builds upon BioReference’s robust expertise in school testing including specific technology developed for scheduling students/staff and reporting to parents and schools to quickly identify classes and students that may be at risk should an individual test positive. Supporting two of the largest school systems in the country, BioReference provides testing services for almost 200 schools every day and has tested nearly 400,000 public school students, principals and teachers to date.
“As school systems continue to prioritize student safety as they work to reopen, testing will play an essential role in expediting the process and supporting a safer overall learning experience for students and their families,” said Jon R. Cohen, M.D., Executive Chairman of BioReference Laboratories. “We’re proud to leverage our expertise in large-scale, school testing programs to expand test offerings throughout the nation. In support of President Biden’s announcement to significantly increase funding for COVID-19 school testing, BioReference is prepared to expand our successful model to multiple other school districts around the country.”
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, BioReference supported various government, municipalities and organizations with COVID-19 specimen collection and transportation, processing COVID-19 tests, and reporting results, having performed more than 13 million COVID-19 tests. Programs specific for school testing can include RT-PCR lab-based testing as well as rapid PCR and antigen, depending on the school and/or district needs.
For more information on setting up a testing program for your school district, please email Ellen Beausang at ebeausang@bioreference.com.
About BioReference Laboratories, Inc.
BioReference Laboratories, Inc. is the largest full service specialty laboratory in the United States that gives healthcare providers and patients the power to make confident healthcare decisions. With a focus on genetics, oncology, urology and women’s health, BioReference offers comprehensive test solutions and unparalleled expertise based on a 40 year legacy of proven science. The company is in-network with the largest health plans in the United States, serves approximately 19 million patients annually, operates a network of 11 laboratory locations, and is backed by a medical staff of more than 300 M.D., D.O., Ph.D., genetic counselors and other professional clinical and scientific personnel. With a national footprint and niche market experience, BioReference provides credible and innovative solutions that meet the needs of employers, governmental agencies, educational systems, hospitals and health systems, correctional institutions, sports leagues, travel and leisure industries, and retail markets. BioReference provides industry-leading custom solutions for COVID-19, including point-of-care testing and large-scale screening programs. https://www.bioreference.com/
About OPKO Health
OPKO is a multinational biopharmaceutical and diagnostics company that seeks to establish industry-leading positions in large, rapidly growing markets by leveraging its discovery, development, and commercialization expertise and novel and proprietary technologies. For more information, visit www.opko.com.
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains “forward-looking statements,” as that term is defined under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (PSLRA), which statements may be identified by words such as “expects,” “plans,” “projects,” “will,” “may,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “should,” “intends,” “estimates,” and other words of similar meaning, including statements regarding BioReference’s expertise in quickly identifying classes and students that may be at risk, the role of testing in expediting and supporting a safer learning environment, BioReference’s ability to successfully expand its model to multiple school districts around the country,as well as other non-historical statements about our expectations, beliefs or intentions regarding our business, technologies and products, financial condition, strategies or prospects. Many factors could cause our actual activities or results to differ materially from the activities and results anticipated in forward-looking statements. These factors include those described in the OPKO Health, Inc. Annual Reports on Form 10-K filed and to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and in its other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In addition, forward-looking statements may also be adversely affected by general market factors, competitive product development, product availability, federal and state regulations and legislation, the regulatory process for new products and indications, manufacturing issues that may arise, patent positions and litigation, among other factors. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date the statements were made, and we do not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements. We intend that all forward-looking statements be subject to the safe-harbor provisions of the PSLRA.
Contacts:
Media Inquiries
Hillary Titus, 201-406-9968
htitus@bioreference.com
School Testing Inquiries
Ellen Beausang, 773-726-7492
ebeausang@bioreference.com
