SVSU Alumna on Front Lines of COVID-19 Battle

Saginaw Valley State University educator and alumna Smriti Pant is on the front lines of fighting a global pandemic. A member of the staff at Great Lakes Bay Health Centers, Pant and her colleagues since March 24 have collected nasal swab samples from more than 230 people at a drive-through sampling site built in the parking lot of the Great Lakes Bay Health Centers downtown Saginaw headquarters at 501 Lapeer.

To be tested at any of the Great Lakes Bay Health Center sites, a patient must bring a referral from a medical provider. Those who lack such documentation are scheduled for “telehealth” sessions with staff from Great Lakes Bay Health Centers. “We don’t turn anyone away,” Pant said.  “People are scared,” she said. “There’s this big fear of the unknown, because we know so little about COVID-19.”