PAWTUCKET – Residents of Central Falls and Pawtucket are now heading to a new site for rapid COVID-19 testing.
The current location, which opened Aug. 4 in conjunction with CVS Health Corp., at 91 Dexter St. in Pawtucket is down the street from the former site at 934 Dexter St. on the Rhode Island College campus.
Appointments, which are still required for testing, can be made by calling 855-843-7620.
Allowing residents easy access to rapid testing is one component of the BEAT COVID-19 initiative in Central Falls and Pawtucket, both of which have seen high infection rates.
The effort is a collaboration between the cities, the R.I. Department of Health, health equity zones and other community groups.
“Together with the cities, the Health Equity Zone collaborative partnership is focused on addressing the disproportionate burden the virus has put on Pawtucket and Central Falls. Testing is a critical step in protecting our neighbors,” said Jeanne Cola, executive director of Local Initiatives Support Corp., the backbone agency for the Pawtucket Central Falls Health Equity Zone. “We are incredibly grateful for the rapid testing that CVS is bringing us. It’s free, fast and there are no questions asked.”
In addition to testing, BEAT COVID-19 offers multilingual help for residents who are sick with COVID-19 or who are facing financial hardships as a result of the pandemic.
The call line, at 855-843-7620, operates from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays.
Elizabeth Graham is a PBN contributing writer.
