Below is information about Wood River Health's COVID-19 procedures, vaccines and testing.

Wood River Health masking policy is aligned with the revised RIDOH/CDC guidance on masking for SARS-CoV-2, also known as the "COVID-19" virus for healthcare settings.

Wood River Health follows pre-COVID check-in procedures for routine visits.  

A positive home test for COVID-19 can be managed with a virtual/telephone appointment when your insurance covers this service. Effective medications are available to help you feel better while your immune system learns to eliminate the virus.

Patients with cold or flu symptoms must wear a mask upon entering our building. Masks are available in our waiting room.

With the noted exceptions below, and when transmission levels in Rhode Island are low, we will not require masks for staff or patients who are well and have not had close contact with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. 

With respect to SARS-CoV-2, Wood River Health requires masking for all individuals in healthcare settings who:

As transmission rates change, the policy will change, so it is possible we will need to go back to universal masking during high transmission rate times.   

Anyone who wishes to continue wearing a mask is welcome to do so. If a patient requests their care team members wear a mask, we will respect that request.

Getting a COVID-19 Vaccine

Wood River Health provides COVID-19 vaccines to anyone who wishes to protect themselves or others from COVID-19.

You do not need to be a patient to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Please note that COVID test costs are per your insurance.  Vaccines and boosters for uninsured individuals is currently unavailable. If you are uninsured and would like to get tested or vaccinated, please contact our Community Resources Team to ask them about our Sliding Fee Scale Program.

How to Get Vaccinated

  • Call 401.539.2461 to schedule an appointment
  • If this is not your first dose, bring your COVID vaccination card, vaccination history or SMART Health Card Verifier App
  • If you are experiencing symptoms on the day of your appointment, call to cancel your appointment and contact your provider for guidance
  • If asymptomatic, arrive to your appointment on time 

Vaccines for Children and Teens

The CDC recommends COVID-19 vaccines and boosters for individuals six months and older.

Wood River Health offers vaccines for our youth patient population. To learn more about the CDC’s guidelines and about vaccine safety for children and teens, visit the CDC's website.

Your flu vaccine can be given at the same time as your COVID-19 vaccine. Call 401.539.2461 to schedule your appointment.

Getting Tested for COVID-19

Wood River Health provides COVID-19 tests to current patients by appointment. We do not offer testing to the general public or to walk-ins.

Wood River Health's COVID-19 testing process is outlined below. The SMART Health Card Verifier App is a helpful resource for Rhode Islanders to access their verified record.

  • If you are a symptomatic patient, call 401.539.2461 to schedule an appointment.
  • Arrive to your appointment on time and with a mask.
  • There may be costs associated with getting tested.
  • Pull into a designated parking spot by the second door of the building, located to the right of the main entrance.
  • Remain in your vehicle. Call 401.387.9636 to notify the front desk that you’ve arrived.
  • Our staff will supply a mask and escort you from your car directly to an exam room for testing, using an alternate entrance to avoid the waiting room.
  • Your results will be ready in 20 minutes. You may stay to collect your results or one of our staff will call you with them.
  • If a PCR test is sent out for results, lab results won't be available for 24-72 hours.

If your self-test result is positive, it means that the test detected the virus, and you have COVID-19. A duplicate test is not needed unless your provider is concerned.

Patients who have COVID-19 by home testing should call for a telemedicine visit rather than coming in. We can prescribe treatment by phone or video. 

Patients experiencing any sick symptoms, suspect having COVID-19 or know they have been exposed to COVID-19 must wear a mask. Please call from your car on arrival. Our staff will give you a mask and escort you directly to an exam room for testing, using an alternate entrance to avoid our waiting room.

Please follow the protocols outlined below, some school systems have shorter requirements:

  • Stay home (isolate) for at least five days, even if you don’t have symptoms. Only leave isolation for medical emergencies.
  • Masking for 10 days since you started having symptoms is recommended.
  • After day 5, if you do not have symptoms and are not taking medicines for cold symptoms, leaving the house with a mask is ok. Masking is recommended for a total of 10 days from start of symptoms.

Tell your close contacts that they may have been exposed to COVID-19 and should get tested.

  • Close contacts who are not fully vaccinated must get tested immediately and, if the result is negative, get tested again 5 to 7 days after exposure or if symptoms develop during quarantine.
  • Fully vaccinated/boosted close contacts must get tested 5 to 7 days after exposure and wear a mask in public indoor settings for 14 days or until they get a negative test result.

Tell a healthcare provider about your positive test result and stay in contact with them.

  • There are effective treatments for COVID-19 infection. A healthcare provider can treat you for COVID-19 based on a self-test result. A healthcare provider may want to test you again to make sure your self-test result is accurate.
  • Call 911 or get yourself to the nearest hospital if you think you are having a medical emergency. This can include trouble breathing, persistent pain or pressure in the chest, new confusion, the inability to wake or stay awake, or bluish lips or face.
  • If you took the test while you had symptoms and followed all instructions carefully, a negative result means your current illness is probably not COVID-19.  It could be influenza or a common cold.
  • It is possible for someone who has COVID-19 to get a negative result on a self-test. This is called a false negative. You could also test negative if the specimen was collected too early in your infection period and could test positive later during your illness.
  • If you think your self-test result may be incorrect, you should test yourself again within a few days, with at least 24 hours between tests.

When to Get Retested

  • You have symptoms and get a negative result on your self-test
  • You don’t have symptoms and get a positive result on your self-test