Prism Health Lab – a branch of the 30+-year-old Prism Group of Companies – has launched its sixth location in as many months in the Chinatown neighborhood of Chicago by leveraging Prism’s unique digital technology developed to enable large scale and cost-effective testing.
From a mobile 8×20-foot office, technicians provide free COVID-19 testing to community members while complying with the most stringent safety protocols. Patients can schedule appointments from the comfort of their own homes via the Prism Health Lab website, or on their mobile devices; Prism’s call center offers service in Chinese, Spanish, Hindi, and English. Patients can also scan a QR Code or access a wireless Kiosk onsite to complete registration within a few minutes for a walk-up appointment.
Alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th) notes, “We’re extremely grateful for their efforts. It’s critical that we have permanent service sites like this across our city and state that are culturally sensitive with multilingual personnel.”
Zul Kapadia, President of Prism Health Lab, says that offering culturally responsive health care has always been at the core of his family’s medical philosophy. “Early on when we saw how our patients and friends within our communities were struggling, we had to do something … We’re very proud of the level of care we’ve been able to quickly deliver by leveraging digital technology.”
Early in the pandemic, Kapadia developed proprietary technology, the Prism Exchange, at the Harvard Innovation Lab. This system allows Prism Health Lab to aggregate much more than COVID-19 test results. The HIPAA-compliant Prism Exchange, among other things, communicates data with Health Departments at the municipal and state level, producing robust analytics and visualizations needed for contact tracing. Prism Health Lab leverages this data to react quickly to COVID-19 hotspots, deploying their mobile teams in otherwise unserved areas.
The medical team, under the directorship of Dr. MS Kapadia Senior, USCIS Civil Surgeon, consists of Physicians, Physician’s Assistants, Nurses, and Medical Assistants to provide accurate and safe testing with appropriate follow-up. The Prism Exchange also allows for patients to receive telehealth visits with qualified health professionals in the event of a positive diagnosis.
Prism Health Lab has garnered the attention of State Representative Theresa Mah, who says the testing clinics are “something that will keep our community safe because anytime somebody thinks they might have been exposed, they can come here and within a few minutes, get a test, and get their results within a couple of days.”
“We are living in unprecedented times. 400,000 Americans have lost their lives. We have lost our neighbors, family, and friends. We can stop that by doing more testing services,” says Dr. Tariq Butt, President of the Chicago Medical Society. “The new administration has committed to America that they’ll provide one million doses of [the] vaccine every day. Prism Health Lab is a model for how to do mass vaccination at their various sites, especially for families and folks who are more vulnerable to COVID-19.”
Prism Health Lab preparations are underway to handle the COVID-19 vaccine. The company has secured an on-demand fleet of specialty cold-transport vehicles that can service mobile units and are also building a state-of-the-art storage facility to keep over a million vaccine doses in supercool freezers, which can function at -86 degrees Celsius.
“We are happy to be here with members of this diverse community,” said Kapadia. “We have faith that grassroots initiatives like ours will be recognized, and as the Biden Administration accelerates Covid 19 recovery initiatives, we hope our voices – the voices of Chicago’s communities – will be heard on how to accelerate vaccine delivery.”
Prism Health Lab’s Chinatown location on Archer & Wentworth marks their sixth location and is open for appointments between the hours of 9 a.m.-5 p.m. CST Monday through Friday, and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. CST on Saturday.
Prism Health Lab’s permanent testing sites:
Laramie & 18th, Cicero, IL
Peterson & Western, West Ridge, Chicago, IL
Archer & Wentworth, Chinatown, Chicago, IL
Lake & Bryn Mawr, Roselle, IL
Schaumburg & Plum Grove, Schaumburg, IL
Touhy & Niles Center, Holiday Inn, Skokie, IL
To make an appointment, visit prismhealthlab.com/appointment or call (800) 325-1812.
Prism Health Lab is more than just a medical facility – it is a community. Founded at the HARVARD Innovation Lab to serve the public during the COVID-19 pandemic, Prism Health Lab provides underserved communities with affordable, no-hassle healthcare by leveraging digital innovations. To date, they have created eight testing sites, administered over 25,000 tests, and are now preparing to incorporate the vaccination into everyday operations. Their ever-growing mobile teams are ready for statewide distribution and each includes a dedicated medical team, security officers, and lab support off-site. They have partnered with various organizations including local, County, and State Health Departments, school districts, the City of Chicago and its Aldermen, food banks, and the Chicago Medical Society. Prism Health Lab is part of the Prism Group of Companies.
