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April 23, 2020
ASCP-Supported $484 Billion Relief Package Paves Way for
More Coherent COVID Testing Strategy
With the federal $484 billion coronavirus relief package just approved by the U.S. House of Representatives and awaiting President Trump’s signature, ASCP is calling for the immediate creation of a national pandemic testing task force at the federal level. This task force should include expertise from laboratory medicine, policymakers at the state and federal levels and logistics specialists who will ensure there is a plan for the distribution of resources. Included in the relief package that the House passed is a $25 billion allocation for coronavirus testing. This legislation included elements of the ASCP National Diagnostic Testing Strategy and Support Plan and paves the way for a more coherent COVID testing strategy.
"I want to thank the ASCP friends and family who sent more than 15,000 letters to the President, congressional leaders and the governors demanding that a national testing strategy be adopted,” said ASCP CEO Blair Holladay, PhD, MASCP, SCT(ASCP)CM. “Together, we succeeded in our call, and together, we have demonstrated our commitment to the patients we serve.”
In a letter to President Trump, ASCP President Gene Siegal, MD, PhD, FASCP, thanked him for his vision in laying the foundation for a national strategy, but cautioned that we need enhanced coordination between federal and state governments and clinical laboratories, personal protective equipment; supply chain distribution of scarce testing supplies, and support for growing the laboratory workforce.
“The hard work of implementing a coherent national strategy is just beginning,” Dr. Holladay said. "In creating a national pandemic testing task force we are taking the next crucial, necessary steps for patients."
ASCP will work tirelessly with policymakers at the federal and state levels to ensure that the details of the ASCP National Diagnostic Testing and Support Strategy are adopted.
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