Kaleida s staffing crunch has been aggravated by the pandemic, the state s vaccine mandate and a patient volume increase stemming from an ongoing strike at Mercy Hospital.
An East Aurora acupuncture clinic has, since at least September, offered a rapid Covid-19 antibody test that detects whether patients have previously contracted and recovered from the novel coronavirus.
But four patients or prospective patients of East Aurora Acupuncture, a small clinic run by acupuncturist Rachel Smith, told The Buffalo News that Smith and her receptionist repeatedly told them they were receiving diagnostic tests that would detect whether they currently had Covid-19 and were contagious.
Smith is not licensed to perform rapid antibody tests, a Buffalo News investigation found. The two kinds of tests conducted at East Aurora Acupuncture â the Sienna-Clarity and Healgen rapid test cassettes â are not cleared for use in point-of-care settings like doctorâs offices or pharmacies, according to the Food and Drug Administration.