By Laura French
HOUSTON — A young Texas EMT has opened a mobile COVID-19 testing lab to provide easier access to tests for individuals, businesses and vulnerable populations.
EMT Taft Foley III, 18, a high school student in Houston who completed his training this summer at the Texas EMS Academy, said when he needed to get a COVID-19 test he “was met with a line that wrapped around the entire building,” according to ABC 13.
The experience helped inspire Foley to become a co-founder of Texas Mobile Medical Labs, which operates in a van that can travel to homes and businesses by appointment.
According to Forbes, Texas Mobile Medical Labs can provide both PCR tests, which produce results within 24-48 hours, and rapid antigen tests that allow patients to receive results within 15 minutes. While the company doesn’t accept insurance, Foley said patients can still submit claims to their insurance providers for full or partial reimbursement.
The revenue generated from performing the tests for individuals and businesses is used to help the company conduct free testing for homeless people, veterans and senior citizens, Foley said.
Foley is an honor roll student at his high school and says he hopes to attend Harvard, Stanford, Princeton or Yale when he graduates.