Where Can I get vaccinated?
To schedule your COVID-19 vaccine appointment please visit www.vaccinateri.org/. COVID-19 vaccines are safe, free of cost, and highly effect against serious illness.
The Affordable Care Act required that preventive services and vaccines be covered by private insurance without cost-sharing. Normally, these services and vaccines are covered starting on the first day of the plan year beginning after they get a favorable rating or recommendation from the United States Preventive Services Task Force or the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. To address the current crisis, Congress included in the CARES Act a requirement that coverage without cost-sharing begin fifteen days after a favorable rating or recommendation is given.
The Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) recommends that everyone who has symptoms of COVID-19 should get tested. The Families First Coronavirus Response Act, the second coronavirus response bill passed by Congress, guarantees that all Americans, regardless of insurance status, can get tested free of charge.
Yes. The Biden Administration announced the distribution of free at-home COVID-19 test kits beginning January 19, 2022. Every home in the U.S. is eligible to order four free at-?home COVID-?19 tests. To order a test kit please visit www.covidtests.gov/.
Additionally, testing is available at drive-up sites located throughout the state. Please check with the Rhode Island Department of Health for the most up-to-date information on how to get tested.
Mental health is an important part of your overall health. As COVID-19 continues to impact and change our daily lives and routines, it is important to take care of your mental health needs just as you would your personal safety and physical well-being.
RIDOH offers several confidential support phone lines. Adults seeking mental or behavioral health support should call BH Link at (401) 414-5465. For services for children, call Kids Link at (855) 543-5465. The CDC also provides advice, contacts, and resources online at a dedicated webpage.
If you are experiencing any immediate mental health, family, domestic, or dating violence emergency, call 9-1-1 immediately. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is also available 24/7 at 1-800-273-8255.
Yes. Rhode Island has a doctor-recommended treatment for COVID-19 that's fast, easy, and highly effective. If you test positive for COVID-19, are age 12 or older, started having mild to moderate symptoms in the last 10 days, and are at high risk for progressing to severe disease, immediately call your healthcare provider and ask about treatment. More information on treatment can be found HERE.
During the COVID-19 public health emergency, a senior on Medicare can get up to 90 days of a prescription, if that is what the doctor prescribed and there are no safety concerns. Medicare drug plans will also allow beneficiaries to refill prescriptions early by up to 90 days, depending on the prescription.
Under the CARES Act, state Medicaid programs now have the ability, should they choose to deploy the option, to allow direct support professionals to continue to provide care and services for patients they are supporting when they enter a hospital, including seniors and individuals with disabilities.
The following local and federal websites serve as further resources on COVID-19:
