Gov. Kim Reynolds says actor Ashton Kutcher connected her to 'Test Iowa' companies

DES MOINES, Iowa — Gov. Kim Reynolds says actor and Iowa native Ashton Kutcher first connected her to the private companies that are behind Iowa's new program to expand coronavirus testing.

Reynolds on Tuesday announced the $26 million contract with health care and technology companies in Utah. "Test Iowa" promises 540,000 testing kits for Iowa over six months, eventually increasing Iowa's testing capacity to 3,000 plus tests per day.

Iowans are instructed to take an online assessment to determine if they need a test. If they meet the requirements, they are approved to get a test at a drive-through clinic, none of which are open yet.

The program is modeled after a similar initiative called "Test Utah," which is a partnership with the same private companies.

Reynolds on Thursday said the deal has an "Iowa touch:" Kutcher, during a phone call with Reynolds this month, suggested that Iowa look into the partnership.

"He knew one of the individuals that had been working on that or that was a friend of his—or just a colleague and knew him—and so he said 'if you'd like, I'd be happy to connect the two of you'," Reynolds said.

She said her team then reached out and also connected with the Utah governor's office about the program.

"We were able to start that conversation and ramp it up relatively quickly," Reynolds said.

It is not clear which friend of Kutcher's is connected to the project. But among the companies working with Iowa are Domo, Qualtrics and NomiHealth.

Kutcher commented on a tweet about the Utah program from Ryan Smith, the Qualtrics CEO, endorsing the idea.

"Seems to me we should roll this out state by state," Kutcher wrote. The actor and tech-investor has also spoken at Qualtrics conferences and has appeared at NBA basketball games with Smith.

Reynolds asked Kutcher earlier this month to participate in a public service announcement for Iowa, urging residents to stay home to combat COVID-19. It was during that phone call, Reynolds said, when Kutcher gave her the tip about the Utah program.

Reynolds said Thursday that she was "intrigued" by the initiative, especially for its “significant” access to tests and the online assessment, calling the information Iowans provide through the questionnaire essential to begin conversations about re-opening the state.

When asked why she went with out-of-state private companies instead of companies or health care providers in Iowa, Reynolds insists the state has multiple partnerships that are part pandemic response.

Reynolds said that the Iowa Department of Public Health is working with Iowa State University and the University of Iowa to develop antibody test.

“This is another tool that we will be able to utilize in our fight against COVID-19," she said.

121,000 Iowans filled out the online "Test Iowa" assessment within the first 48 hours of its launch, she said. The first testing site will open this weekend in downtown Des Moines but it's unclear where the other locations will be or when they will be operational.

Reynolds called this weekend a "soft launch" of the program.