Carl T. Hayden Veterans' Administration Medical Center

What To Know About Home COVID Tests—And How To Get Them For Free

Home COVID tests use strips that contain antibodies to a critical protein present in COVID-19, explains Hokeness. When you swab your nostril with the supplied swab and apply the sample to the test strip, lateral flow technology (similar to what's used in a pregnancy test, says Hokeness) moves the sample fluid over the antibodies on the test strip—"like a paper towel soaking up water."

"If the COVID-19 antigens are present in the sample, they will bind to the antibodies, and you will get a positive result. If they are not present, you will not get binding and the results will be negative," says Hokeness.

Types of Home COVID Tests

The type of COVID test you choose may depend on its purpose. The majority of over-the-counter COVID tests that provide rapid results are antigen tests, which may be sufficient before attending an indoor event, but it may not be enough if you're traveling.

"These tests are not recorded, so some situations may require PCR testing—for example, returning to work or school or travel," says Hokeness.

If you're returning to the U.S. By air, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) requires your home antigen test include supervision by a medical professional via video. (The manufacturer of the test provides this service.)

While most home COVID test kits you'll find contain nasal swabs, you might encounter some that test a saliva sample instead. These tests can be slightly less sensitive than nasal tests that use a long swab to gather a mucous sample, but both are considered viable at-home testing options.

How Accurate Are Home COVID Tests?

Antigen at-home COVID tests are often accurate but typically less sensitive than molecular tests. They detect COVID-19 best when you have a high viral load, explains Hokeness, which typically occurs when you're symptomatic or you've been recently exposed and your infection has just begun.

"If the viral load is low, PCR testing is far more accurate, as it can detect low levels of material," she says.

How to Administer a Home COVID Test

Administering a home COVID test takes just a few minutes, and everything you need is in the box (except for a device to connect to the telehealth service, if applicable).

"Be sure to follow all the instructions that come with the test, including how to swab and the appropriate amount of time to wait before reading the result," says Jeannie Kenkare, D.O., chief medical officer at PhysicianOne Urgent Care in Connecticut. Most tests produce results in about 15 minutes.

Most home tests come in packs of two, adds Dr. Kenkare, so if you suspect you've been exposed, you can take a second test a few days after your initial one.

Being Organized Can Actually Improve Mental Health. This Is Why.

Improved mental health is on the agenda for many people in 2024 and decluttering and organizing is the preferred method of accomplishing it for a lot of them.

One reason disorganization is so often tied to mental health is because it can have a negative impact on the way we see ourselves and the lives we lead. The studied downsides of living in a disorganized or cluttered environment include memory impediment, poor eating habits, an increased chance of developing mood disorders, and decreased impulse control. There's also a link between the stress hormone cortisol and living in a cluttered space and a likelihood that "clutter and disorganization can lead to chronic anxiety disorders in some people," says Daniel Levitin, a behavioral neuroscientist at McGill University in Montreal, Canada.

A Journal of Environmental Psychology study also shows that "clutter can lower feelings of well-being, happiness, and the safety and security that a person derives from being in their personal spaces," says Catherine Roster, a co-author of the study and a professor at the Anderson School of Management at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque.

Part of the reason for this is that many of us recognize that "our homes may be messy and cluttered because we feel overwhelmed and unorganized mentally," says Natalie Christine Dattilo, a Boston-based clinical psychologist and instructor at Harvard Medical School.

Disorganization can also decrease one's ability to focus and make decisions. Other research that Roster also co-authored, shows that working in a disorganized environment can quickly lead to feelings of exhaustion.

"Clutter and disorganization brings a loss of productivity that is difficult to quantify," says Levitin. He points to the amount of time people lose looking for lost items, missing appointments, or falling behind at work or school because of disordered living. "The average person likely loses 5 percent of their time due to disorganization," he says. "Take your annual salary, multiply that by 5 percent, and you can measure what disorganization may be costing you."

While some purported mental health benefits related to removing clutter and becoming organized may be overstated (contrary to popular opinion, organization probably won't help with diagnosed depression, for instance), science still supports several advantages of maintaining a tidy space.

Mental (and physical) benefits of getting organized

Joseph Ferrari, a distinguished professor of psychology at DePaul University and one of the most recognized scholars on clutter and disorganization research, says that nearly every mental health downside that comes from disorganization and clutter can be improved by getting organized. "You'll feel less exhaustion, enhance your productivity at the office, and greatly improve the quality of your life if you can learn how to declutter and become organized," he says.

Neha Khorana, an Atlanta-based board-certified clinical psychologist who specializes in mental health benefits related to cleaning and organizing, agrees. She adds that getting organized can also improve anxiety-related symptoms, "as being disorganized is associated with higher levels of anxiety."

Tidy homes have been found to be a predictor of physical health as well. "Those whose houses are cleaner are more active and generally have better physical health," says Libby Sander, an assistant professor of organizational behavior at Bond University in Australia. Part of this is due to organized people being better at managing their time, but it's also because research demonstrates that a lack of clutter can help improve one's diet. "Studies show an association between excess clutter and excess weight," says Dattilo.

Getting organized has also been shown to decrease one's stress levels, increase personal efficiency, and even improve sleep.

Another studied advantage of getting organized may be improving the quality of one's relationships. Dattilo explains that relationships can be negatively impacted when too much clutter affects communication or distracts one's brain from filtering important cues from their partner. Research shows this can cause others to feel ignored, misunderstood, or unimportant.

Where and how to begin

Though many people recognize and desire the mental and physical health benefits that come from becoming more organized, some don't know where to begin.

"I advise starting small," says Dattilo. "It's easy to become overwhelmed if you try to tackle an entire room or even a closet, so you can set yourself up for success by starting with a single drawer, bookshelf, or the kitchen pantry." She also suggests making organization more enjoyable by listening to music or an audiobook while you're at it and to "spend time in your newly organized space after to let yourself enjoy it."

Khorana recommends setting aside specific amounts of time to declutter and organize, and Roster suggests imagining how good it will feel to have an organized space as motivation to get started. "Think about how you could utilize the space for another purpose that would make your life better or help you be more productive," she says. She also recommends enlisting support, if needed. "A family member, friend, or professional organizer can help if you don't know where to begin," she says.

When it comes to the process of organizing, Julie Morgenstern, a professional organizer and author of Organizing from the Inside Out, advises sorting items into categories such as keep, toss, and relocate. She suggests having a place for every item you want to keep, purging items you won't use, and storing elsewhere sentimental or seasonal items or décor you don't need to access often. "Also consider off-site storage if you have items you can't bear to part with such as archival tax records, college papers, memorabilia, and extra furniture," she says. "It will get the items out of the house without the trauma of permanently purging them."

When making such sorting decisions, Ferrari recommends against the popular advice of first feeling an item in one's hand to see whether it brings joy. "Studies show that touching something actually makes you feel more attached to it, which is why retailers try to get shoppers to hold shelved items to induce purchasing," he explains. Instead, he says it's better to logically assess whether to keep something or not without the added emotion that comes from holding it.

Sander says it's also important to remember that becoming organized includes digital decluttering as well. "Unsubscribe from things you don't read, delete emails, make a new folder and move just a few emails or documents a day," she advises. "Just giving yourself five minutes a day to get organized will get a lot done over the course of a few weeks and will help build habits to stay organized."

Dattilo says that organization and decluttering "require decision-making, emotion regulation, prioritization, and patience," but that the process can be learned and improved with practice. "When we take care of our home in an intentional and loving way," she says, "we send an important message to ourselves that we are worth the time and effort it takes."

Status Of Drexel Preferred (Tier 1) Health Coverage Options

August 2019

The closure of Hahnemann Hospital will impact current benefits-eligible employees who use medical services at Hahnemann or by Drexel University College of Medicine physicians.

Under Independence Blue Cross, Drexel University established a relationship with Hahnemann and its clinical practices as a Drexel Preferred (Tier 1) service provider. This allowed benefits-eligible employees and their enrolled dependents to receive care at Hahnemann and Drexel University College of Medicine physicians at a reduced cost share. With the closure of Hahnemann, some employees may need to find alternative providers. Drexel is working on modifying the list of Preferred Tier 1 providers for the remainder of 2019 in an effort to continue to provide our employees cost saving medical options.

Ongoing Tier 1 Services for the 2019 Calendar Year

Effective immediately and for the remainder of calendar year 2019, employees who utilized Hahnemann Hospital for medical services in the past year can obtain the Drexel Preferred (Tier 1) rates with providers affiliated with the Tower Health network and the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP) network. Additionally, Jefferson Hospital obstetrics and gynecology services will be classified as Drexel Preferred (Tier 1).

Your Drexel primary care doctor may still be providing services under the Drexel Preferred (Tier 1) rates through Tower Health, so before you initiate any changes, we encourage you to contact them first to ask questions related to current and future care planning and needs, in addition to gathering information about other hospitals they may be affiliated with.

Other in-network hospitals will continue to be billed at the in-network rate. Non-obstetrics and gynecology services at Jefferson Hospital will also be billed at in-network rates. For details about these rates, please review the 2019 Drexel University Medical Plan Comparison Chart [PDF]. Additional information about Drexel health coverage plans is located on the Drexel HR website.

It is recommended that anyone who has seen (or is currently seeing) a Hahnemann-affiliated physician should request their medical records by calling the Medical Records Department at 215.762.7680.

We understand that this can be a difficult time for our employees and we are doing everything we can to make this transition as smooth as possible. Please contact the Drexel University HR Service Center at 215.895.2850 or hr@drexel.Edu with further questions.

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