One of the companies, Center for COVID Control, does not have the necessary certifications to perform tests, the Attorney General’s office said.
DENVER — Colorado’s attorney general and state health department are ordering a COVID-19 testing company to stop operating in Colorado after they found it did not have the necessary certifications to perform testing and failed to comply with reporting requirements.
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) sent cease-and-desist notices Friday to the Center for COVID Control, which operates three testing locations in the Denver metro area.
The following sites operated by the Center for COVID Control were ordered to shut down:
- 6460 E Yale Ave Denver 80222
- 4775 S Broadway Englewood 80113
- 1750 Blake St. Denver 80202
Weiser’s office said a CDPHE investigation found Center for COVID Control’s Colorado testing sites is not legally certified under the federal Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments program. A CLIA certification is required for all non-research, non-forensic lab testing performed on humans in the U.S., the office said.
“Our consumer protection section also has received a significant number of complaints about safety conditions at their testing sites, including concerns about the appropriate use of personal protective equipment,” the office said in a press release. “By violating these licensing requirements and ignoring health and safety protocols, the Center for COVID Control is putting Coloradans at risk and we’re taking action to protect public health.”
Weiser said the company also violated public health orders that require companies that perform COVID testing to report results to the state.
Macagain Corp., which operates eight sites across the Front Range, was also ordered to halt operations due to failure to comply with reporting requirements, Weiser’s office said.
The Macagain Corp. locations ordered to shut down are:
- 1546 28th St, Boulder 80303
- 3250 W 72nd St, Westminster 80030
- 155 Cook St, Denver 80206
- 620 Miller Ct, Lakewood 80215
- 1700 S College Ave. Fort Collins 80525
- 6830 S Yosemite Ct, Centennial 80112
- 3629 Betty Dr. Colorado Springs 80917
- 2910 Wood Ave, Colorado Springs 80907
“The public needs to be able to have confidence and trust in testing sites. We’re thankful for the swift help of the Department of Law in halting these testing operations, protecting consumers, and ensuring public health orders are followed,” CDPHE said in a release. “We want Coloradans to know there are over 150 state run community testing sites available and encourage them to keep getting tested to help slow the spread of COVID-19.”
Company faces nationwide scrutiny
Center for COVID Control, which operates more than 300 pop-up COVID testing sites across the country, is under investigation in multiple states, NBC News reports. Complaints range from late test results to concerns that no tests were being conducted at all.
In recent weeks, the Oregon Department of Justice and the Illinois attorney general opened civil investigations into the firm, according to NBC News. Massachusetts and Rhode Island have issued cease and desist letters to the company, and regulators in Washington and California shut down several of its sites for operating without a license. Federal inspectors also shut down multiple sites operating without a license in Massachusetts.
In a press release posted to its website Thursday, the company said it was ceasing operations at all sites for a week starting Friday, with plans to reopen Jan. 22. The company said high demand due to the omicron variant “has stressed staffing resources” in some locations, “affecting our usual customer service standards and diagnostic goals.”
“CCC will use this operational pause for additional staff training in sample collection and handling, a refocus on customer service and communication practices, and ensure compliance with regulatory guidelines,” the release said.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: COVID-19 Coronavirus