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College of Charleston Launches Comprehensive Health-Testing Initiative to Keep Campus Safe

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  Published in Health and Fitness on Tuesday, December 9th 2025 at 14:47 GMT by Live 5 News

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College of Charleston Launches Comprehensive Health‑Testing Initiative to Keep Campus Safe

In an effort to protect students, faculty, and staff while returning to an in‑person learning environment, the College of Charleston (CoC) has rolled out a new, campus‑wide health‑testing program. The initiative—announced in a recent news release on the college’s official website and highlighted by the local news outlet—aims to provide rapid, reliable testing for COVID‑19 and other respiratory illnesses to help the institution manage risk and stay compliant with state and federal guidance.

How the Program Works

The program is designed to give every member of the CoC community—students, employees, and invited guests—access to a two‑tiered testing strategy:

1. Rapid Antigen Screening
   Students and staff receive a rapid antigen test at the beginning of each semester and again every two weeks thereafter. These tests are administered on campus at the Health Services Center and at selected outdoor stations around campus. The rapid results, available within 15–30 minutes, allow individuals to know their status immediately and take appropriate action (e.g., isolate if positive or proceed with normal activities if negative).

2. Confirmatory RT‑PCR Testing
   If a rapid test is positive, a follow‑up reverse‑transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT‑PCR) test is performed on a saliva or nasopharyngeal sample. This second test—performed in partnership with the Charleston Health Department’s accredited laboratory—confirms the result with a higher degree of accuracy. The lab’s turnaround time is 24–48 hours, and all results are transmitted securely to the College’s Health Services, which in turn informs the affected individual and, when necessary, the local health authorities.

Students are encouraged to schedule their tests through the online portal linked on the college’s Health Services page. The portal also tracks testing history, shows the status of pending results, and reminds users of upcoming screening dates. All students are required to sign a consent form that allows the college to share aggregate data with public‑health partners while preserving individual privacy.

Partnership and Funding

CoC’s initiative is supported by a multi‑agency partnership that includes:

• Charleston Health Department – Provides laboratory capacity for RT‑PCR testing and supplies data to the state’s public‑health surveillance system.
• University of South Carolina Health System – Offers logistical support for test distribution and supplies personal protective equipment (PPE) for staff.
• State of South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services – Funds the program through an emergency health grant aimed at keeping higher‑education institutions safe during the pandemic.

According to a statement from the college’s Vice President for Student Affairs, the program is funded at an estimated $3.5 million over the next academic year. The funds cover test kits, lab fees, staff wages, and an emergency response team that monitors for outbreaks and coordinates isolation housing if needed.

Why the College Chose a Comprehensive Approach

The decision to implement a campus‑wide testing regimen stems from several factors:

1. Regulatory Guidance
   The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) recommend routine testing for high‑density settings such as colleges. The program aligns with these guidelines, ensuring compliance and reducing the risk of outbreaks.

2. Evidence of Early Detection
   Studies published in The New England Journal of Medicine and JAMA have shown that regular testing can dramatically reduce the number of undetected cases, allowing institutions to act before community spread escalates.

3. Student Confidence
   Surveys conducted among CoC students in the previous semester indicated that 68 % of respondents felt safer attending classes in person if reliable testing was available. By addressing this concern, the college hopes to improve enrollment and campus engagement.

4. Economic and Social Considerations
   Early detection reduces the burden on local health services, prevents costly disruptions to classes, and limits the need for widespread quarantines that could affect tuition and housing.

Implementation Logistics

The college’s Health Services Center is now operating 24/7 to accommodate the testing load. Staff include registered nurses, certified phlebotomists, and trained student volunteers. The center’s new “Testing Pods”—mobile units stationed on the main quad, at the student union, and in the library—allow on‑the‑spot sampling without requiring students to leave campus.

All testing data is stored on a secure, HIPAA‑compliant cloud platform. The data is used for internal reporting, to inform contact‑tracing efforts, and to contribute to a publicly available dashboard that displays campus positivity rates. The dashboard, linked on the college’s website, provides transparency and helps students make informed decisions about their health and safety.

Outcomes and Future Plans

While the program is still in its early stages, preliminary data from the first two weeks of testing suggest a steady decline in positive cases. In its first week, the campus saw 12 positive rapid tests, 5 of which were confirmed by RT‑PCR. By week three, the number of new positives dropped to three, indicating that early detection and rapid isolation may be curbing transmission.

Looking ahead, the college plans to expand testing to include influenza and RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) during peak seasons, leveraging the same infrastructure. The college’s Director of Public Health, Dr. Lisa Martinez, has announced that the college will pilot a “smart” testing algorithm that prioritizes testing for students in high‑density housing and those involved in extracurricular activities with higher contact rates.

Key Takeaways

• Comprehensive Testing: The College of Charleston offers rapid antigen screening every two weeks plus confirmatory RT‑PCR for positives, covering all on‑campus individuals.
• Robust Partnerships: Funding and laboratory support come from the Charleston Health Department, the University of South Carolina Health System, and state health agencies.
• Transparent Data: All results are tracked via a secure online portal, with aggregated data made available on a public dashboard.
• Proactive Prevention: Early detection, rapid isolation, and continuous monitoring aim to minimize campus outbreaks and maintain a safe learning environment.
• Future Expansion: The college intends to broaden the program to include other respiratory illnesses and to refine testing strategies based on data analytics.

By combining rigorous testing protocols, collaborative public‑health partnerships, and data‑driven decision making, the College of Charleston is setting a high bar for campus safety and serves as a model for higher‑education institutions nationwide.