COVID-19 Testing

NOTE: Information on this page has been updated as of January 26, 2021 due to revised SUNY guidance.

In an effort to both protect the health and safety of community members working and learning on-campus and meet the mandate of SUNY Chancellor James Malatras’ directives to help stop the spread of COVID-19 in New York, Westchester Community College (WCC) has developed the following testing plan.

HIGHLIGHTS for STUDENTS

Who gets tested

Every student who comes to the Valhalla campus or an Extension Center for in-person instruction or use of campus facilities are required to participate in the surveillance testing plan,
Students attending Westchester EOC are covered by a different set of guidelines previously communicated.

What tests are acceptable

Only PCR tests will be accepted. Rapid-Antigen Tests are not acceptable.
- Please identify yourself as a student and include your student ID number if you are submitting your COVID-19 test results to Covidreporting@sunywcc.edu

When they get tested

All students entering on or in WCC property during any of the Summer 2021 sessions MUST be tested during the week they intend to enter College property.

- Students entering College property on a weekly basis must be tested each week.

WMC will begin the process of contacting each such student during the week before the testing week to schedule an appointment via phone call or email.

- If you miss the call, you should contact WMC by phone (914) 909-6754 or email COVID19CCOPS@wmchealth.org. Remember to identify yourself as a student who needs to be tested as part of the WCC testing program. If you have already been tested at WMC, you can schedule subsequent testing appointments through their Healthe Life app.

If you need to reschedule or make a new testing appointment, call the Westchester Medical Center at (914) 909-6754.

- When calling, please indicate that you are being tested as a part of the Westchester Community College testing program.

Where they get tested

All students entering in or on college property during Summer 2021 must be tested at Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, with two exceptions:

- Students who receive PCR testing on a regular basis as a function of their employment or internship. Students who undergo such testing must submit their test results to CovidReporting@sunywcc.edu
- Students who visit an Extension Center but not the Valhalla campus may contact the New York State COVID-19 Hotline at 1-888-364-3065 or at https://covid19screening.health.ny.gov to inquire about the nearest free acceptable testing location. See COVID-19 Testing Plan Compliance section below for acceptable tests.

What happens if I don’t test

If you fail to be tested in accordance with this plan, you will be denied access to campus. See details here.

What happens after testing

If you are tested at WMC, the Medical Center will, with your consent, submit your test results directly to WCC. If you are tested elsewhere, you will be responsible for submitting your test results to CovidReporting@sunywcc.edu
If you test positive, WCC and WMC will both notify the Westchester Department of Health (WDOH) to initiate contact tracing protocols. You will be instructed by the College to not come to campus and by WDOH regarding your isolation/quarantine requirements.

- If you have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 90 days you are exempt from the testing program. Proof of a positive COVID-19 test result must be submitted to Covidreporting@sunywcc.edu
- Once your isolation/quarantine period is completed and you are asymptomatic, you will be permitted to enter college property. You will be required to participate in the testing program 90 days after your positive test result.

Any student of the WCC on-campus community who does not comply with the College’s testing requirements will not be permitted to access any College location and will be referred to Student Life.

Other requirements for returning to campus

- In addition to following these testing protocols, all students coming to campus during the Summer 2021 semester MUST submit an attestation, available here

If you are exposed to COVID-19 and are non-vaccinated, and

- If you have tested positive to COVID 19 and required to isolate for 10 days or if you have been identified as a contact of someone who tested positive for COVID 19 and required to quarantine for 10 days, you may return to in-person classes or work on-campus or other WCC properties on day #11 as long as you are asymptomatic.
- If you participate in internships or clinical rotations in Nursing Homes and other Long-Term Facilities, you must follow a 14-day quarantine as required by the CDC and the NYSDOH for return to these sites.

If you are exposed to COVID-19 and are vaccinated, you may return to campus if you meet all three of the following criteria:

- - Are fully vaccinated (i.e., more than 2 weeks following receipt of the second dose of a 2-dose series, or more than two weeks following receipt of one dose of a single-dose vaccine)
  - Your vaccinated status has been confirmed by a Westchester Community College Health Office Nurse or by the Westchester County Department of Health
  - You have remained asymptomatic since the current COVID-19 exposure

Everyone on campus MUST follow COVID-19 safety protocols, detailed here.

Message from Westchester Medical Center

Westchester Community College (WCC) has partnered with Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth) to provide COVID-19 testing for the remainder of the 2020-2021 Academic year. The process will be as follow:

Intake Call-WMCHealth will be calling WCC on campus community members to schedule a first COVID-19 testing appointment. During this intake call WMCHealth will request your contact and insurance information. Your insurance company will be billed for the COVID-19 test but you will not be billed for any out of pocket expenses and WCC will pay any uncovered testing expenses.
Testing-Testing will occur at 49 Emergency Drive, Valhalla NY 10595 by appointment only. Upon arrival to your first appointment, please bring a copy of the attached consent form (required for compliance with the WCC testing policy) which allows WMCHealth to share your results with Westchester Community College.
Results- During your intake call, WMCHealth will be inviting you to join its myCare patient portal. Upon email invitation, you will receive step by step instruction on how to register and access the myCare portal where you will be able to view your results and schedule future appointments.
Future Appointments- You will need to schedule future appointments through the myCare patient portal. The week prior to your required testing period, you will receive an email from WMCHealth, alerting you to schedule an appointment.

HIGHLIGHTS for EMPLOYEES

Who gets tested

Every student and employee who comes to the Valhalla campus, an Extension Center, or WEOC for in-person instruction, use of campus facilities, and/or employment are required to participate in the surveillance testing plan. Surveillance means that we test the right samples of the population in a way that allows us to make inferences as efficiently as possible.
Students attending Westchester EOC are covered by a different set of guidelines previously communicated.

What tests are acceptable

Only PCR tests will be accepted. Rapid-Antigen Tests are not acceptable.
- If you are submitting your COVID-19 test results to Covidreporting@sunywcc.edu please remember to identify yourself as an employee

When they get tested

All employees entering on or in WCC property must be tested during the week they intend to enter College property.

- Anyone entering College property on a weekly basis must be tested each week.

WMC will begin the process of contacting each such employee during the week before the testing week to schedule an appointment via phone call or email.

- If you miss the call, you should contact WMC by phone (914) 909-6754 or email COVID19CCOPS@wmchealth.org. Remember to identify yourself as an employee who needs to be tested as part of the WCC testing program. If you have already been tested at WMC, you can schedule subsequent testing appointments through their Healthe Life app.

Where they get tested

Westchester Medical Center (WMC) in Valhalla will conduct PCR tests for COVID-19. There will be no cost to employees or students for these tests at WMC, but you will be asked for your insurance information at the time of scheduling,
WMC offers drive-up and walk-up testing options

What happens if I don’t test

If you fail to be tested in accordance with this plan, you will be denied access to campus. See details here.

What happens after testing

WMC, with your consent, will submit your test results directly to WCC.
If you test positive, WCC and WMC will both notify the Westchester Department of Health (WDOH) to initiate contact tracing protocols. You will be instructed by the College to not come to campus and by WDOH regarding your isolation/quarantine requirements.

- If you have tested positive for COVID-19, contact HR Benefits at Catherine.Estella-Flashman@sunywcc.edu
- Once your isolation/quarantine period is completed and you are asymptomatic, you will be permitted to enter college property. You will be required to participate in the testing program 90 days after your positive test result.

Any employee of the WCC on campus community who does not comply with the College’s testing requirements will not be permitted to access any College location and will be referred to Human Resources.

Message from Westchester Medical Center

Intake Call-WMCHealth will be calling WCC on campus community members to schedule a first COVID-19 testing appointment. During this intake call WMCHealth will request your contact and insurance information. Your insurance company will be billed for the COVID-19 test but you will not be billed for any out of pocket expenses and WCC will pay any uncovered testing expenses.
Testing-Testing will occur at 49 Emergency Drive, Valhalla NY 10595 by appointment only. Upon arrival to your first appointment, please bring a copy of the attached consent form (required for compliance with the WCC testing policy) which allows WMCHealth to share your results with Westchester Community College.
Results- During your intake call, WMCHealth will be inviting you to join its myCare patient portal. Upon email invitation, you will receive step by step instruction on how to register and access the myCare portal where you will be able to view your results and schedule future appointments.
Future Appointments- You will need to schedule future appointments through the myCare patient portal. The week prior to your required testing period, you will receive an email from WMCHealth, alerting you to schedule an appointment.

COVID-19 TESTING PLAN

Introduction

In an effort to both protect the health and safety of community members working and learning on-campus and meet the mandate of the SUNY Chancellor’s directives to help stop the spread of COVID-19 in New York, Westchester Community College (WCC) has developed the following testing plan. The objective of this plan is to maintain public health in an equitable and efficient process that takes into consideration the unique characteristics of WCC’s commuter-only campus, collaboration with its county health department and healthcare providers, Pandemic Recovery Plan, and the guidelines from SUNY System Administration.

All students and employees who are on campus for: a) in-person instruction; b) use of campus facilities, and/or c) employment will be required to participate in the campus testing plan. Individuals accessing campus are required to complete a COVID-19 PCR test in a manner prescribed by the College according to the requirements of this plan.

Testing Frequency & Requirements

For the Spring 2021 semester the College shall test, on a weekly basis, 100 percent of all students, faculty, and staff who are on campus conducting college business (i.e. instruction, co-curricular activities, meetings, etc.) during that given week.

Test Administration

The College has entered into a partnership with Westchester Medical Center (WMC), which will be the institution’s primary and sole agency to administer COVID-19 PCR testing to WCC community members. In this collaboration between WMC and WCC, WMC will schedule PCR tests, administer the tests at no additional charge to employees and students, and provide results to the college for related tracking and any required action as well as subsequent reporting to state systems.

Students Taking A Class on the Valhalla Campus

In order to ensure the efficacy of the testing process and to best utilize the limited resources on WCC’s campus, all students taking one or more in-person classes on the Valhalla campus are required to be PCR tested by WMC each week of the semester. Students taking one or more in-person classes on the Valhalla campus will not be eligible to use their own physician or a testing center of their choice to satisfy the requirements of WCC’s testing plan.

Students Taking In-Person Classes Exclusively at an Extension Center

Recognizing the challenges coming to Valhalla may present, students who are taking in-person classes exclusively at an Extension Center will have the option to either be tested at WMC or use their own physician or a testing center of their choice to satisfy the requirements of WCC’s testing plan. Students meeting this criteria will be required to be tested weekly. Students may contact the New York State COVID-19 Hotline at 1-888-364-3065 or at https://covid19screening.health.ny.gov to inquire about the nearest free acceptable testing location. Students will be required to submit their documentation demonstrating their compliance with the testing mandate to CovidReporting@sunywcc.edu by the deadline presented to them at the time of their notification. The documentation must include the following information: (a) date of test; (b) lab report for COVID-19 (aka SARS-CoV2); (c) indicate the type of test was a PCR-nasal swab; (d) the result of such a test for COVID-19; and (e) contact information of provider/agency who conducted the test, preferably on letterhead. Students who complete their testing requirement with their own physician or a testing center of their choice will not be eligible for reimbursement from the College for any expenses they incurred.

Employees

In order to ensure the efficacy of the testing process and to best utilize the limited resources on WCC’s campus, all employees working on WCC property are required to be COVID-19 PCR tested by WMC when called upon to do so. Employees will not be eligible to use their own physician or a testing center of their choice to satisfy the requirements of WCC’s testing plan. An employee will not incur any personal charges for having to take this test, but may be asked to present their insurance card. Employee testing may be conducted during regular work hours.

What Happens When a Positive Case is Identified

In the event someone tests positive, the Health Services Office supported by the Security Department will immediately notify the Westchester Department of Health (WDOH) to initiate contact tracing protocols. Community members who may have had contact with the individual who tested positive will be contacted by contact tracers assigned by the WDOH. Contact tracers will notify exposed individuals of their exposure and quarantine/isolation requirements.

The individual who tested positive will be instructed by the College and/or WDOH of their isolation/quarantine requirements.

Return to Campus - Students

Before a student who previously tested positive is able to return to on-campus, they will be required to present the Health Services Office a clearance letter from the WDOH or their home county’s department of health.
As a result of any quarantine or isolation orders by the WDOH, specific on-campus activities, inclusive of classes, will be moved to a virtual environment for a specified set of time.

Return to Campus - Employees

Before an employee who previously tested positive is able to return to on-campus, they will be required to present the Health Services Office a clearance letter from the WDOH.

Communications

Policy Notification
The College will notify all community members, inclusive of faculty, staff, administration and students of this policy in advance of the policy becoming effective. The College’s Marketing & Communications Office will coordinate all communications to students and employees.

Notification of Testing Requirement
Security will provide the list of individuals required to test to the WMC each week. The WMC will contact each individual to schedule their COVID-19 PCR test at WMC.

Failure of Community Members to Test
WMC will contact Security with responsive information about testing conducted and will include identifies of individuals who were not tested. Health Services will notify Security regarding students who have met the testing requirement that are taking in-person classes exclusively at an Extension Center. Security will compile a weekly list of non-compliant individuals and will take immediate action to restrict their access to campus. Security will notify the following offices for further action:

Office of Student Life: Non-Compliant Students
Human Resources: Non-Compliant Employees

Compliance

Students
Students who fail to participate in their weekly testing requirement will be subject to administrative action to enforce compliance. The College will take administrative measures to restrict a non-compliant student from accessing any WCC campus or facility, including a restriction from attending on-campus classes (though they may continue in remote coursework only, if available and as subject to campus policy and process).

The Office of Student Life shall notify the student that of their campus access restriction. These administrative actions are not disciplinary in nature.

To cure this deficiency and have their access to campus restored a non-compliant student must submit documentation demonstrating their compliance with the PCR testing mandate. Documentation must be sent to CovidReporting@sunywcc.edu. The documentation must include the following information: (a) date of test; (b) lab report for COVID-19 (aka SARS-CoV2); (c) indicate the type of test was a PCR-nasal swab; (d) the result of such a test for COVID-19; and (e) contact information of provider/agency who conducted the test, preferably on letterhead.

The Office of Student Life shall notify the student via their MyWCC email when they are eligible to access campus again. It may take up to ten (10) business days from the time a non-compliant student submits their testing results to COVIDReporting@sunywcc.edu before they are notified that are eligible to regain access to campus.

A non-compliant student may not access campus until they cure their deficiency and receive an email from Student Life granting them access to campus again. Non-compliant students coming to campus or seeking access to a campus building or on-campus course without prior approval shall be considered trespassing and may result in investigation and discipline through the College’s process detailed in the Student Code of Conduct.

Employees
The College will take administrative measures in accordance to the WCC testing policy. Immediate action will be to restrict a non-compliant employee from accessing any WCC campus or facility. Further non-compliant actions will be handled through the disciplinary procedures of the corresponding collective bargaining agreements.

Westchester Educational Opportunity Center Procedures
The Westchester Educational Opportunity Center as a separate entity from the College will follow the below plan:

Test Administration
Students who are scheduled to be on site for eight (8) hours or more will be required to obtain a PCR test. Students will be given the option of obtaining a PCR from their healthcare provider or to call the New York State Hotline for assistance with scheduling a test at a location convenient for them. They will be instructed to state they are asymptomatic, but the test is needed for school. As per the NYS Hotline, they will refer students to sites that will test for free (insurances will be accepted but uninsured individuals will be tested without cost). They will be tested with the same frequency as students on the Valhalla campus.

Students will need to provide the test results to the designated WEOC official or request that the testing site provide them directly to Covidreporting@sunywcc.edu.

The WEOC Director will provide the Health Office, supported by the Security Department, with the names and contact information for the individuals being tested.

Communication - Notification
Students will be notified through their WEOC email and via direct communication from a WEOC staff member.

Compliance
WEOC students who are required to test and do not, will not be allowed to enter the facility until they have complied. This may result in students being dropped from their program.