Expanding Access to COVID-19 Tests through US Postal Service Facilities

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Services Research
• Logistics

Background:

• Access to widespread and convenient COVID-19 testing remains a significant challenge in the United States.
• Existing healthcare infrastructure and testing sites often have limited reach, particularly in rural and underserved areas.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and evaluate the utilization of United States Postal Service (USPS) facilities for provisioning COVID-19 testing.
• To demonstrate a method for selecting optimal USPS locations to enhance testing accessibility.
• To assess the potential impact of USPS-based testing on population reach and travel distances.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of daily travel surveys, census data, and USPS facility locations.
• Application of an established care-seeking model to estimate population willingness to travel.
• Quantitative estimation of increased access and reduced travel distances in selected states.

Main Results:

• Over 94% of the US population would be willing to travel to a USPS facility for testing.
• For 50% of the population, travel distance would be under 2.5 miles; for 90%, under 7 miles.
• In Georgia, Illinois, and Minnesota, USPS testing could reach millions more people and significantly reduce median travel distances.

Conclusions:

• USPS facilities represent a viable and effective network for expanding COVID-19 testing access across the United States.
• The proposed strategy offers a practical solution to improve healthcare access in remote and at-risk communities.
• Distributing at-home test kits via USPS and leveraging facilities for testing can enhance public health infrastructure and USPS relevance.