NJIT Turns Mobile Medical Care Prototype into Hub for COVID-19 Testing
NJIT has activated a prototype mobile medical care unit as a COVID-19 testing center for students, faculty and staff.
The mobile medical care unit (M2CU), which NJIT developed in partnership with University Hospital in Newark and The Tuchman Foundation and unveiled in July, is made from repurposed shipping containers and designed for many uses, including clinical point-of-care services at hospitals overwhelmed by the global pandemic. On campus, it becomes the hub for the weekly testing of some 400 members of the community — a key component of NJIT’s multi-pronged approach to minimizing the spread of the coronavirus.
Previously, the university collected samples for these rapid antigen tests inside its Campus Center. Now, community members can enter the sampling space directly without circulating through a campus building, noted Andrew Christ, senior vice president for real estate development and capital operations at NJIT. “The transition has gone very well," he added. "The M2CU unit has provided an efficient and effective facility for this application.”
Beyond individual testing, NJIT tests wastewater from its residential buildings each week for traces of genetic material associated with COVID-19. And each day it monitors the air and surfaces inside its academic buildings. This is all in addition to wearing masks, maintaining proper distance between individuals and disinfecting classrooms and labs after use.
NJIT’s comprehensive health and safety strategy enables nearly a third of its 11,652 students to attend classes in person while the remainder studies remotely online. The goal is to identify infections early and then isolate those infected from the broader population.
Between March and Oct. 28, NJIT has recorded 18 positive cases of COVID-19 out of thousands of individual tests of students, faculty and staff. Positives are reported transparently on the university’s Pandemic Recovery at NJIT page.
The new testing hub, which is stationed outside the Wellness and Events Center, serves six individuals at a time, with ample spacing between community members and nurses. It’s open four days a week and processes up to 100 tests per day. Typically, the results are delivered the next day.
The M2CU can also be deployed to disaster areas and regions that lack health care infrastructure. For the prototype, NJIT provided architectural design, management and technical know-how, University Hospital served as medical advisor and Tuchman Foundation, through Tuchman Group, delivered expertise in shipping and logistics. The foundation, a nonprofit that supports research on health care, including diseases and cures, also provided initial funding.
