WASHINGTON —
Statement attributable to: Carmen L. Wiley, PhD
President, American Association for Clinical Chemistry
“We at AACC would like to extend our deepest thanks to HHS and Assistant Secretary for Health Admiral Brett P. Giroir, MD, for his leadership in establishing the National Testing Implementation Forum to address the persistent challenges that the U.S. is facing with COVID-19 testing. As a member of the forum, AACC appreciates this opportunity to raise its members’ challenges and concerns as we continue to work toward containing this virus. The forum will bring together a diverse array of healthcare stakeholder groups that will provide input to federal leadership on a number of issues related to COVID-19 testing—including the serious testing supply shortages that continue to cause delays in patients getting their results and hinder contact tracing efforts. Throughout the pandemic, AACC has advocated for the federal government to take a more active role in alleviating these supply shortages, and most recently we joined other clinical laboratory groups in sending a letter to Vice President Pence requesting assistance from the White House Task Force in solving this problem. We commend Admiral Giroir and HHS for listening to the clinical laboratory community’s concerns and for responding by convening this forum, and we are honored that Admiral Giroir has included AACC in this initiative. We now look forward to working with HHS and the forum’s other participants to help eliminate roadblocks to COVID-19 testing so that labs can reach the testing levels needed to contain the virus’s latest surge.”
About AACC
Dedicated to achieving better health through laboratory medicine, AACC brings together more than 50,000 clinical laboratory professionals, physicians, research scientists, and business leaders from around the world focused on clinical chemistry, molecular diagnostics, mass spectrometry, translational medicine, lab management, and other areas of progressing laboratory science. Since 1948, AACC has worked to advance the common interests of the field, providing programs that advance scientific collaboration, knowledge, expertise, and innovation. For more information, visit www.aacc.org.
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