After Harleen Grewal became one of the 1 million Los Angelenos to be diagnosed with COVID-19, she realized there’s a better way for people to find out whether they have the virus, or whether they need to isolate because they potentially could make someone else sick.
“People are not getting tested — people don’t have the ability to go get an appointment right away,” Grewal said.
People are missing work, chances to meet with loved ones and just the ability to get on with their lives because they‘re in fear of not knowing whether they had a virus that’s been wreaking havoc around the world.
The recent numbers of COVID-19 diagnoses countywide continue to alarm L.A. County Public Health officials, with the available ICU capacity still at 0% for the region and more than 10,000 new cases identified daily.
But as a board-certified pediatric dentist who also has a husband who’s a board-certified neurologist, once she beat COVID-19, she also realized she was in a position to help others.
That’s why Harleen Grewal and her husband, Yuvi, who works at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital, decided to create SCVRapidTest.com.
The website allows Santa Clarita Valley residents to schedule a test between 7 a.m and 7 p.m., and Harleen will bring her mobile testing unit, as well as a medical professional to administer the test, to the home or office, for a $150 fee. The best part for many is the convenience, Harleen Grewal said, because it only takes about 15 minutes to get the result.
“If you don’t know right away or not, you could be going out in the community and risking the health of others,” said Dr. Yuvi Grewal. “I think the rapid testing is really important and, surprisingly, there aren’t really that many options right now for rapid testing.”
While right now the fastest way to sign up is online at SCVRapidTest.com, the husband-and-wife team are also opening Mind-Body Infusion Center in Skyline Ranch very soon, where they plan to offer tests, as well as a number of holistic remedies. By spring, the pair also expect to have Skyline Smiles, Harleen Grewal’s dentistry practice, up and running next door to their wellness center, also on La Madrid Drive in the Skyline Ranch Plaza.
“If we don’t have a plan of action, we’re not going to be able to go do anything,” Harleen said, sharing the frustration she’s heard so many express over potential virus concerns, and her motivation for starting this effort. “If I can help someone, I really want to do it. This is the time.”
For more information on scheduling a test, visit SCVRapidTest.com.
