Subpoenas come out of recently launched City Attorney investigation into rogue COVID testing sites
SAN FRANCISCO (January 20, 2022) — City Attorney David Chiu announced today that he has issued two subpoenas as a part of an investigation into rogue COVID testing operators in San Francisco. The investigation was spurred by reports of potentially unauthorized entities performing COVID tests in the City.
Chiu issued subpoenas today for records from two companies, Community Wellness America, Inc. and Crestview Clinical Laboratory, LLC. Earlier this month, individuals representing Community Wellness America, Inc. were reported to be offering COVID tests on public property in San Francisco. It is unclear whether the individuals staffing Community Wellness America’s pop-up testing operations have the adequate training to perform these tests and what they are doing with the information and samples they are collecting.
“Protecting the integrity of our COVID testing operations is crucial as we grapple with a surge in COVID cases,” said City Attorney David Chiu. “We cannot allow rogue actors to exploit this Omicron surge for profit. We will get to the bottom of this and ensure any bad actors are held accountable.”
While reports of deceptive facilities are concerning, these reports represent a small fraction of COVID testing operations in San Francisco. In addition to a number of properly authorized private operators, testing sites affiliated with the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH) and large health care systems account for more than 60 percent of tests administered daily.
Members of the public in need of a COVID test are encouraged to first contact their healthcare provider for a test, if they have one, and then explore SFDPH-affiliated testing site options. For a list of testing sites in San Francisco, go to: sf.gov/gettested.
Consumers should be wary of any testing operator that asks for sensitive personal information like social security numbers or immigration status. If a member of the public suspects a testing facility to be operating without the proper authorization, they should notify city officials by submitting a tip to 311.
Subpoenas:
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