How I Pivoted Drug Testing Clinics Into a COVID Vaccination Operation Serving 800 People a Day
In early 2020, I had four drug testing clinics operating across Arizona under 911 Drug Testing. We served transportation fleets, handled post-accident testing, and had built a solid reputation for reliability.
Then COVID hit, and within weeks, the phone stopped ringing.
The Moment I Knew We Had to Pivot
By March 2020, it was clear this wasn’t a temporary slowdown. Companies weren’t doing pre-employment testing because they weren’t hiring. Fleets weren’t running normal operations. The business model that had worked for years was suddenly irrelevant.
I had two choices: wait and hope things went back to normal, or figure out what people actually needed right now.
The answer was obvious: testing. Not drug testing — COVID testing.
Building the Infrastructure
Pivoting sounds simple in hindsight. In reality, it required rebuilding almost everything:
New partnerships with labs that could process COVID tests
New protocols for safety, PPE, and high-volume operations
New marketing to reach a completely different customer base
New staffing to handle demand that was about to explode
I rebranded the clinics as 911 OccMed and positioned us as workplace wellness — COVID testing, temperature screening, and eventually vaccinations for employers who needed to keep their teams safe.
Winning Government Contracts
The turning point came when we won contracts with Maricopa County and the State of Arizona for COVID testing and vaccination services.
This wasn’t luck. We’d built relationships over years through Vertical Identity’s work. When the government needed partners who could execute quickly, they knew we could deliver.
Serving 800+ People a Day
At our peak, we were running mass vaccination events with teams serving over 800 people a day. We did on-site events at farms, factories, and facilities across Arizona.
One of the most memorable was a vaccination event at Taylor Farm, which was covered by The Arizona Republic. We helped hundreds of agricultural workers get vaccinated — people who might not have had easy access otherwise.
Featured in The Arizona Republic, Phoenix Business Journal, and Latinaology as a Cuban-American and woman-owned business serving the community.
Why I Closed the Clinics
When COVID demand subsided, I made a decision some people questioned: I closed the clinics entirely rather than trying to rebuild the original drug testing model.
Here’s my thinking:
The market had changed. The team had changed. Trying to resurrect a pre-pandemic business model felt like swimming upstream.
More importantly, I’d proven something to myself: I could pivot an entire operation in months and serve a genuine need. That skill — the ability to adapt fast — was more valuable than any single business.
The Lesson
COVID taught me that the best entrepreneurs aren’t the ones with the best original ideas. They’re the ones who can see what’s needed right now and move faster than everyone else.
The clinics are gone, but the lessons stay with me every day.