HR emailed all benefits-eligible faculty and staff members that they and their eligible dependents now have access to VitalCheck—Doctors in Your Office, a resource available to conduct screening and, if appropriate, facilitate testing for COVID-19. The cost is covered 100% by their health insurance. Employees need not be enrolled in a Princeton medical plan to utilize this service.
Not everyone needs to be tested for COVID-19 as described by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Most people have mild illness and are able to recover at home.
If individuals think they may have COVID-19 and would like to discuss their symptoms or exposures with a doctor, book an appointment through the VitalCheck—Doctors in Your Office website. The doctor will screen them, advise them about the symptoms to which they should be alert, offer next steps to avoid getting the virus, and suggest how to avoid passing it onto loved ones.
If the individual meets specific criteria, VitalCheck—Doctors in Your Office will send them a coronavirus lab kit. This is not a home test kit; it is a lab test, the same test that is conducted at state public drive-through stations. A physician will call to guide the individual and oversee the collection of the specimen and process for delivery of the specimen to the lab. Current turnaround time for results may vary based on demand.
If employees are being tested for COVID-19, or someone in their household is being tested for COVID-19, they must notify UHS by emailing [email protected] so UHS can begin contact tracing.
For more information, refer to the University’s Princeton COVID Resources website.
Anyone with questions should call VitalCheck—Doctors in Your Office at (646) 450-7751.
This article was updated on December 1, 2020.