THE NEXUS OF ACCESS&

Inside a discreet building in Central El Paso is a sophisticated medical laboratory that features a smorgasbord of scientific instruments and possibilities.

Nexus Health Solutions is a home health and medical laboratory that utilizes nurses for specialized at-home testing with a specialized mobile unit that provides a clean, safe, and discreet environment. At the helm are Jaime Arriola, Director of Nursing who has more than 10 years experience in the nursing field, as well as a background in infection control; and his wife Meghan Arriola, Clinic Practice Administrator who oversees the clinic’s administrative processes and staff.

“I was a home health nurse and noticed that my patients couldn’t go to their doctors’ appointments and couldn’t be tested for COVID-19 because they were homebound,” says Jaime. “Meghan said we should try to test them at home.”

Jaime coordinated with the lab, then he and Meghan put their money together to purchase a van so they could begin administering COVID-19 tests to community members at-home and at no cost. Word of their mobile testing services spread quickly, and it didn’t take long before they were providing testing for businesses, drug rehabilitation centers, and more.

“We tested at women’s shelters and migrant shelters. We did testing for Haitian migrants coming from Del Rio, and we also went to one of the migrant camps housing the Afghan refugees,” says Meghan

Access to lifesaving services that must be first diagnosed through testing is being developed across the country as healthcare evolves. The COVID-19 pandemic made clear that medical labs must adapt to the ever-changing health care system that has moved beyond the traditional clinical setting.

Providing at-home testing for COVID-19, STDs, UTIs, and more can lead to better patient outcomes through early detection and accelerated diagnostic treatment; expand and enhance health care access and equity by traveling to the patient; and improve the patient experience by offering convenient and discreet services.

“We’ve grown from something really small to something big, and now we’re the only laboratory that has specialized testing for tuberculosis and are able to get the results back within a few hours,” says Meghan.

Nexus Health Solutions offers the quantum tuberculosis test, a simple blood test that yields more reliable results than traditional skin tests for TB.

“The skin test can’t be done on children. If you have HIV, the skin test can come back negative, even if you’re positive for tuberculosis. If you have a vaccine, it doesn’t work. So it’s really important to get the blood test. It’s actually required in order to immigrate to the United States for those going through the process of citizenship.”

In addition to testing, Nexus Health Solutions also provides vaccinations.

“When the COVID-19 vaccine came out, we had a large stockpile,” says Jaime. “We have an ultra-low freezer, we actually have two. We were able to store 26,000 of vaccine doses for the city and county.”

For now, the couple continues to lead their staff of nurses and look ahead to the future.

“Our whole goal is to bring access to the community that wasn’t there before,” says Jaime. “It’s nice to not only be able to keep taking care of people, but also to take care of them properly.”