StarMed shifts a Charlotte COVID-19 testing site amid ‘traffic and security issues’

StarMed Healthcare, through a partnership with the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS), is relocating its COVID-19 testing and vaccination site in the Starmount neighborhood to the CATS Archdale “Park and Ride,” location, the company said Monday.

The move, which covers just under one mile, will happen Tuesday.

The relocation comes less than a week after a man reportedly threatened a StarMed employee with two dogs and a shotgun at their previous testing site near Arrowood Road, the StarMed confirmed.

StarMed Healthcare CEO Michael Estramonte suggested the incident possibly stemmed from frustrations over long testing lines that backed up into nearby neighborhoods and caused traffic issues.

“I never anticipated the lines would get so long that they would back up into a residential area, but once that happened, it kind of got out of control,” Estramonte said.

The new site at 6230 South Blvd. will have additional security personnel and enhanced traffic control “to help with the high demand for COVID-19 testing seen throughout Charlotte,” according a news release.

Safety changes made to testing site

Two off-duty police officers will monitor the testing site and two National Guard members will keep an eye on cars in line, Estramonte said. Traffic cones and additional signage will also be used to guide motorists through the line.

“You try to anticipate as much as you can, but until you get there, you kind of have to pull an audible halfway through the first day, and usually the second or third day is when you find a good rhythm,” said Estramonte.

Estramonte said the demand for testing has led to wait times of up to four hours at both of their testing sites in Charlotte.

‘Cascading challenges’

As the number of COVID-19 cases reported in Mecklenburg County reaches a record high, StarMed is facing a number of “cascading challenges” affecting their ability to provide quick service, Estramonte said.

According to Estramonte, StarMed performed 40,000 PCR tests and 25,000 rapid antigen tests last week, up from just 18,000 tests performed during the same period a year ago.

While the error rate for testing usually ranges from 5 to 10%, meaning more than 90% of tests provide accurate results to patients in three days or less, Estramonte said up to 15% of test results have been delayed at a time due to labs having to rerun the samples they receive.

“Right now, our limiting factor is how many specimens our lab can run, and how many personnel we can bring out,” Estramonte said, adding that, since a number of employees have tested positive for COVID-19, the company is hiring between 40 and 50 people per day. “We are opening up another lab right now, and it’ll probably be up and running by Thursday.”

Last Friday, the phone system at the StarMed call center on Arrowood Road crashed when 25 people called at the same time, Estramonte said, adding that issue has since been resolved.

Despite the violent encounter that occurred at the StarMed testing site, Estramonte said the worker who was threatened wanted to continue working because of her desire to “serve the community.”

“This is the most challenging time of COVID throughout the whole pandemic for us,” he said. “I just can’t believe the people that are working here are holding it together. I give them such praise and gratitude every day.”

This story was originally published January 10, 2022 at 4:43 PM.