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

Masking Policy

Wood River Health is following pre-COVID check-in procedures. Unless symptomatic and arriving for a COVID-19 test, patients no longer need to check in from their vehicles.

Effective April 20, 2023, Wood River Health has changed our masking policy to align with the revised RIDOH/CDC guidance on masking for SARS-CoV-2, also known as the ‘COVID-19’ virus.

With the noted exceptions below, and when transmission levels in RI 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:

Sick patients should call to check in from their car and continue using the side door; our patient and care team members are still required to wear a mask for these encounters.

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 all.

You do not need to be a patient to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Vaccinations are provided at our Hope Valley location. Please note that the Federal Uninsured Claims Program that previously covered the costs of COVID tests, 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
  • 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 and with a mask

Vaccines for Children and Teens

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

Wood River Health offers the Moderna vaccine 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.

If you lost your vaccination card, visit the RI Department of Health’s website and input your identifying information here.

If you find an error in your immunization record, correct it here.

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.

Our COVID-19 testing process is outlined below:

  • 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.
  • Call 401.387.9636 to notify the front desk that you’ve arrived.
  • Remain in your vehicle. A member of our medical staff will come to your vehicle to administer a COVID-19 test.
  • 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 it is very likely that you have COVID-19. Please do not call us to schedule a duplicate test.

Please follow the protocols outlined below and notify the Rhode Island Department of Health of your result.

  • Report your self test to RIDOH.
  • Stay home (isolate) for at least five days, even if they don’t have symptoms. Only leave isolation for medical emergencies.
  • If you have severe illness, stay home for at least 10 days since you started having symptoms.
  • If you do not have symptoms, stay home for at least 5 days from the day you were tested.

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 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 your self-test result is negative, it means that the test did not detect the virus.

  • 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 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

Effective May 30, 2021, health care facilities, nursing service agencies, and assisted living residences must maintain proof of health care workers/personnel COVID-19 vaccination status.

We are required to publicly post cumulative COVID-19 vaccination data within the health care facility and on our website on a monthly basis.

Here is Wood River Health's staff vaccination update for July 2024.