New public COVID-19 testing site opens in Providence’s Jewelry District
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) – There’s a new way to get a COVID-19 test in the city of Providence.
CIC Healthcare, a company that’s running all coronavirus testing for the state of Vermont, is expanding its services into the Ocean State. CIC Healthcare also has testing locations in Massachusetts.
“We are a company that, as many know, focuses on shared offices, places for people to work, and early in the pandemic, we started to create options for people who work here to get tested. And then, recently, the Governor’s office asked us if we would open that up to the public,” said founder & CEO Tim Rowe.
Testing comes at a cost of $80, and CIC said there are no long waits or lines as everyone has a designated appointment time.
“It’s all scheduled so there are no lines,” Rowe said. “You know exactly when you’re gonna get your test, you show up, and you get your test.”
The testing site is on the ground floor of CIC Providence at 225 Dyer Street.
People arriving for a test must sign in with the front desk and follow signs that lead to the testing area. The test is self-administered, and the swab is placed into a test tube and is then transported directly to a lab in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Turnaround time for test results is approximately 24 hours.
“We’re now also working with Rhode Island to focus on some of the businesses in Rhode Island to help get businesses that need to have people on-site, like construction companies, be sure that they’re not gonna be held up by an outbreak,” added Rowe.
Governor Gina Raimondo announced last week that the state’s goal is to reach 28,000 COVID-19 tests daily by the end of this week. This added site is aimed to help the state in that goal.
“The key goal for many is just for people to be safer, and so if you have a situation where you’re a little worried, maybe you’re going to see some family and you want to know that you’re okay before you do, this is an option.”
According to CIC Healthcare, the Providence location has 240 appointment slots per day, and they’re open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 7:45 p.m.
To schedule a test, click here.
© WLNE-TV 2020
