PETERSON SPACE FORCE BASE, Colo. — -- Due to weather and safety concerns, the 21st Medical Group has moved the Peterson-Schriever Garrison COVID-19 testing to the former clubhouse of the Silver Spruce Golf Course, Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado, Jan. 10, 2022.
This new location provides protection from fast-changing, often harsh weather that affects the Pikes Peak region in winter and spring, allowing members of the 21st MDG to respond to P-S GAR’s COVID-19 testing needs without cold temperatures and strong winds as complicating factors. This is especially important now, as the Omicron variant of COVID-19 drives increased need for testing.
“Our tempo has increased significantly,” says U.S. Air Force Maj. Julee Avram, 21st MDG officer in charge of the Pandemic Response Flight. “Before the beginning of the year, there were days where we were screening 20 people a day. Now, every single day, it’s 80 people.”
Previously, the 21st MDG offered testing through tents set up outside of the 21st MDG annex building by appointment from 8 to 11 a.m. This new site will offer testing by appointment only, with the same hours. The clubhouse parking lot will be used to keep test appointment traffic away from higher-use roads on base, an additional benefit to the new location.
The service members who run the testing site each morning are diverted from their typical day-to-day tasks for the garrison which may affect patient care in other departments.
Avram, who works in women’s health outside of her pandemic response duties, has limited appointment hours and suggests women in need of routine care contact their primary care physician.
For pandemic responders like U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Aaren Dizney, 21st Health Care Operations Squadron non-commissioned officer in charge of pediatrics, there are coworkers to help with day-to-day work, so at worst, some paperwork may be delayed.
“We’re all resilient, so we adapt and we overcome,” said Dizney. “Even if we are short on staff and we have to move people around, everybody works together as a team.”
The 21st MDG is conducting COVID-19 testing for empaneled patients who may have been exposed to COVID-19 or are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19. Contact the 21st MDG to schedule a test appointment by calling (719) 524-2273 or (719) 526-2273.