Case Study: Lake Forest Academy

Lake Forest Academy

SECTOR:

Academics

LOCATION:

Lake Forest, IL

KEY ACHIEVEMENT:

Serving over 400 LFA students with regular COVID-19 testing throughout the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 school years through a customized testing program with white-glove service, rapid result times, and a close connection to the laboratory.

Lake Forest Academy (LFA) is a college preparatory school with over 400 boarding and day students grades 9 through 12. The school is located in the Northern suburbs of Chicago in Lake Forest, IL.

During the summer of 2021, the Lake Forest Academy Health Services team led by Anna Kliner made the difficult decision to allow their students to attend school in person for the 2021-2022 academic year. With cases of the COVID-19 delta variant starting to rise and limited vaccine coverage for children, LFA knew that it would be crucial to find a quality COVID-19 testing partner to ensure their students could return to campus in the safest manner possible.

OPPORTUNITY

Although LFA considered other partners, such as big-name testing organizations with high volumes of clients, they ultimately chose Neelyx Labs in order to have a white-glove service experience and a personal connection to a smaller laboratory. When LFA had the opportunity to change partners for the 2022-2023 academic year, they decided to stay with Neelyx Labs because of the high quality of service and cutting-edge science Neelyx Labs was able to share with them.

SOLUTION

QUALITY

White-Glove Service

We offer LFA elevated care and attention to detail to ensure that all samples are transported and processed quickly with accurate results.

Medical Consultation

Our medical director, Dr. Ram Saladi, consults Anna Kliner and LFA Health Services on how to best handle positive COVID-19 cases when necessary.

Rapid Results

Results have always been delivered within 24 hours for all LFA samples, even during spikes in COVID-19 cases when the laboratory processes thousands of samples.

INNOVATION

Cutting-Edge Science

We share our latest, most innovative COVID-19 diagnostic solutions with LFA, utilizing protocols and technologies such as SalivaDirect and the Accula Rapid PCR System.

Participation in Research

LFA will participate in our clinical trial for saliva-based, full-panel respiratory disease detection, which will allow us to offer them testing support for illnesses like the flu and RSV in the future.

Optimized Program

We worked with LFA to develop an optimal testing program for their unique needs, including both rapid antigen and RT-PCR testing. Together with LFA, we regularly assess and update their program.

SERVICE

Extended Hours

We extend our hours when needed to make sure LFA samples are resulted out ASAP, ideally the same day, so that students could know their COVID-19 status by the morning.

Low-Cost Options

We offer LFA low-cost, and in some cases, no-cost testing options to make sure affordability isn’t a limiting factor in protecting students and the communities they are a part of.

Increased Capacity

We have advised LFA on solutions for on-site testing at their facility. We remain an ongoing partner to support their best solutions for healthcare, even when it means we won’t be directly involved.

“Caring for the health of over 400 students, faculty, and staff is my responsibility, and every time I’ve sent samples to Neelyx, I completely and confidently trusted them to provide accurate and timely results. With Neelyx, I could often let my students know the same day if they needed to quarantine or if they could return to school safely in the morning. Neelyx has always gone above and beyond, offering medical provider support, and supporting the expansion of our health services program. I don’t just look to Neelyx for test results; I trust them with the health and safety of my community.”

— Anna Kliner, MSN, RN, FNP-C - Lake Forest Academy Director of Health Services

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