The White House launched COVID.gov, a new one-stop shop website to help all people in the United States gain even better access to lifesaving tools like vaccines, tests, treatments, and masks, as well as get the latest updates on COVID-19 in their area. As part of COVID.gov, a new Test-to-Treat locator will help people access pharmacies and community health centers across the nation where people can get tested for COVID-19 and receive appropriate treatments if they need them.
Built upon GIS and mapping technology from Esri, which is used for the Johns Hopkins worldwide COVID-19 map, the COVID-19 Test-to-Treat locator provides locations for people to get tested – and if they test positive and are eligible for treatment – receive a prescription from an on-site or affiliated health care provider, and have their prescription filled all at one convenient location.
The Test-to-Treat locator follows the release of the COVID-19 Therapeutics Locator from the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) that helps providers see detailed information about available therapeutics near them.
Esri’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Este Geraghty, who has helped organizations worldwide deploy GIS to fight the pandemic, commented on these new tools:
“A well-managed health system has the right medications available when and where they are needed. Some may take that for granted. In an ongoing pandemic, however, the need for medications is multiplied and the challenge of connecting people and providers to available therapeutics is greater. As a result of the Biden administration’s efforts to ensure the American public has the resources they need to identify and address ongoing COVID-19 disease, the U.S. Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) used geographic information system (GIS) technology from Esri to connect medication types and doses to locations across the United States. Whether you’re a health care provider or an individual concerned about an infection, you’ll be able to access one of ASPR’s apps to find COVID therapeutics near you. Providers can find the locations and numbers of doses available of specific COVID-19 medications in the Therapeutic Distribution Locator application, while individuals can respond quickly when they have symptoms with the Test to Treat locator application to find where testing sites and medications are relative to their location. This is an excellent example of a useful and transparent national data system that responds directly to individual and health system needs. “
