NEW: Walk-Up & Drive-Thru COVID-19 Testing Site Opens in Providence

NEW: Walk-Up & Drive-Thru COVID-19 Testing Site Opens in Providence

Rhode Island's first walk-up - and drive-thru - COVID-19 testing site has opened in Providence. 

The site at Robert L. Bailey IV Elementary School at 65 Gordon Avenue is being overseen in partnership with the State of Rhode Island and  Providence Community Health Centers (PCHC) in an effort to increase opportunities for local and accessible testing. 

In addition, the city is also working to support Clinica Esperanza in Olneyville that currently offers drive-thru COVID-19 testing to Providence’s frontline communities.

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About the Site

As part of collaborative efforts with PCHC, drive-thru and walk-up COVID-19 testing will be provided beginning Tuesday, April 21, in tents in the parking lot of Robert L. Bailey IV Elementary School, across the street from PCHC’s Prairie Avenue clinic. 

Testing is available to symptomatic PCHC patients with a referral from their primary care provider and an appointment.  Instructions on how to access the sites will be provided at the time the appointment is made.  

Patient in-take and testing will be conducted by PCHC staff with the goal of completing more than 40 tests a day upon launch. In an effort to increase accessibility, bilingual personnel, materials, and signage will 
be available at the site. 

PCHC encourages its existing patients to call their health center for an appointment, new patients to call 401-444-0404 for assistance and to find more detailed clinic information can also be found here.

Local primary care facility Clinica Esperanza, with the support of United Way and the Rhode Island Foundation, recently launched drive-up COVID-testing,in addition to expanding access to care for the clinic’s most vulnerable patient population.  Drive-up testing is available there three days a week by appointment only on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays from 4:00PM to 6:00PM. Clinica Esperanza encourages patients to call their COVID-19 line at 401-408-0238 and to visit their website to find more detailed information.