San Francisco officials will investigate a California company that allegedly operated two COVID-19 testing sites in the city without a license, five months after Marin County health officials shut down an unauthorized site run by the same company.
City Attorney David Chiu on Tuesday announced he had written a letter to Community Wellness America, calling for the company to show it’s licensed to operate coronavirus testing sites in San Francisco as demand increases citywide due to the omicron variant. Chiu's office said in a release the company had been operating sites as early as Jan. 5 near Golden Gate and Dolores parks.
"Some folks felt that things seemed a little off, and in a number of instances, they asked about a license," Chiu told KCBS Radio's Melissa Culross in an interview on Tuesday. "And there are questions about whether an operator is unlicensed."
The site’s operators provided the city with a license issued to Crestview Clinical Laboratories, according to Chiu's letter, that expired in November. Chiu's letter called for the company to provide copies of a valid testing license, a valid permit to operate on public property and proof the company is using tests authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
In August, the Marin County Department of Public Health shuttered a Community Wellness America-run site in Fairfax. The company operated on the sidewalk, then on a nearby residential driveway, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. At the time, the company’s CEO told the paper it had applied for a business license in Fairfax.
The California Department of Public Health told the paper at the time it was investigating complaints into the company. Last week, the department told the San Diego Union-Tribune its investigation "found no evidence of non-compliance with clinical lab laws." The company appeared to collect specimens and send them to a licensed California lab for testing, state officials told the paper.
Community Wellness America didn't respond to KCBS Radio's request for comment on Tuesday.
"The vast majority of testing operators in San Francisco are licensed and lawful, but we need to make sure that if there are any bad actors out there, that we are investigating this and shutting it down," Chiu said, advising city residents to schedule a test through their health care provider or the public health department's list of testing sites.
The San Francisco Department of Public Health will investigate other possible unauthorized testing sites alongside Chiu's office, according to officials. In the meantime, Chiu said residents should feel comfortable asking a testing site for its license, especially in the event "your Spidey sense tells you something feels different."
If the provider can't procure a license, Chiu said to call the city's 311 line to report them.
"It would be utterly unacceptable if rogue actors could exploit the situation, and set up unlicensed testing facilities to make a quick buck," he said.
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