CHATSWORTH, Calif.—Testing outfit Talent Health Labs released a statement Monday morning responding to the Free Speech Coalition's current hold on all production industry-wide, which it says was called because a handful of performers tested at THL, whose testing protocol FSC says does not meet its PASS standards, and those performers needed to be retested under PASS protocol in order to be cleared to work.
THL's statement follows:
We at THL were surprised by FSC/PASS's recent decision to suspend our services from the PASS system. Their insistence that performers tested through Talent Health Labs need to be re-tested was entirely unexpected, and according to our medical experts, there is no medical reason for our clients to be re-tested.
If tested and cleared through THL, you are safe. Even FSC/PASS noted in its statement that they "have no reason to believe that there are any active cases of HIV or syphilis in the talent community."
There is no need to venture out in this unsure time: your test results are 100% valid. In fact, we encourage all members of our community to stay home, practice social distancing, and follow other isolation measures as recommended by local governments. COVID-19 is serious. Going to any medical facility for anything other than an urgent need at this time is strongly discouraged.
The THL test panel used for talent eligibility was offered to FSC/PASS in June 2019 and was accepted by FSC/PASS last December. There was no objection to our testing panel until it was surprisingly rejected last week. Ours is a 4th generation test based on CDC recommendations and performed at the world's largest diagnostic testing company, with unsurpassed standards and resources. Much has changed in lab testing since 2004, and our protocols are based on 2020 guidelines both for public and high risk groups.
As soon as FSC/PASS informed us of our suspension, we immediately sought to determine whether anyone in our client community was at risk. We promptly reached out to three infectious disease specialists and our medical directors who confirmed that our testing methods were safe and appropriate.
As one of our medical directors indicated, “THERE IS NO RISK." All clients tested through THL are safe. Based on your personalized risk for acquisitions of sexually transmitted infections, you should continue your routine health assessments. Only you and your healthcare provider can make an accurate assessment of your risk based on your personal protection plan and personalized practices.
We remain committed to working with FSC/PASS in safeguarding the community through these difficult times. We are working to understand how and why this decision was made, and how to move forward. We invited FSC/PASS to address their concerns at our conference calls with specialists; however, they declined. We hope to work out any misunderstandings in the near future.
THL is here to answer all inquiries from performers, as well as our producer and agent subscribers. Rest assured we have been working with the FSC/PASS to help resolve this issue and look forward to continuing serving our community.
Your safety is the top priority for both THL and FSC/PASS. These are trying times for all of us. We regret and apologize for this distraction.
