Woonsocket Radio News Room

 

Office of the Mayor

WOONSOCKET, RHODE ISLAND

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 7, 2021

Contact: Mayor Lisa Baldelli-Hunt

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; 401-767-9205

 

 

Woonsocket Mayor and City Safety Officials Visit New COVID-19 Mass Testing Site at Former Olympia Sports on Diamond Hill Road

 

WOONSOCKET, R.I.: Woonsocket Mayor Lisa Baldelli-Hunt is pleased to share that a new mass COVID-19 rapid testing site operated by Rhode Island Disaster Medical Assistance/Medical Reserve Corps (RIDMA) has opened at the former Olympia Sports in the Walnut Hill Plaza at 1500 Diamond Hill Road; adjacent to the new State mass vaccination site. The testing site is open seven days a week from the hours of 9:00 AM through 5:00 PM. The testing site accepts walk-ins and appointments can also be booked at www.portal.ri.gov or call 401-222-8022. Testing is free and there are no residency restrictions on who can be tested.

The Mayor and Woonsocket public safety officials toured the testing site on Friday, April 2nd prior to their afternoon visit of the neighboring State mass vaccination site. The purpose of the visit was to learn more about the operations and services provided at both sites. This will enable the City to advise residents more effectively in Woonsocket and surrounding Rhode Island cities and towns about local COVID-19 testing and vaccination options, and to be better able to direct them to the facility that best meets their needs.

The Mayor stated, "This new RIDMA mass testing site will be a tremendous resource to Woonsocket and other local communities for residents to get tested for COVID-19 in a quick, convenient and reliable way with no long lines or having to wait days for results. I am pleased that RIDMA chose Woonsocket for their regional mass COVID-19 testing center, as well as for the mass Covid-19 vaccination site." The Mayor added, "I encourage our local residents, especially those who have not yet been vaccinated, to get tested for COVID-19 whether they have symptoms or not, and this new RIDMA site will make it easier to do so."

RIDMA Executive Officer, Brooke Lawrence explained, "Our organization is pleased to be supporting both the vaccination and testing centers here in Woonsocket. COVID-19 cases are on the rise in Northern RI, and to stop the spread we urge you to get tested as soon as possible. We offer both the Rapid 15-minute test and the PCR test, which we can use to determine the strain of COVID-19 that is causing this surge." Lawrence also appealed for volunteers at the site, "Rhode Island has a long history of volunteerism and we continue that tradition by opening these critical facilities. New clinical and non-clinical volunteers are always welcome. If you would like to help your fellow citizens, join us by visiting www.rimrc.org."

The new Woonsocket RIDMA testing site on Diamond Hill Road opened on March 26th and is unique because it offers both BinaxNow rapid testing where accurate results are usually produced in about 15 minutes, as well as the more sensitive PCR test where results are available after 24 hours. The site is equipped to perform over 750 tests per day and everyone, whether they have symptoms or not is encouraged to come in to be tested. Individuals who have any COVID-19 symptoms, even a runny nose, will be directed to call a special phone number posted at the testing site, after which a site worker will come out to that individual’s car to administer the COVID-19 test. The testing site has plenty of parking in the front of the building and entrance doors are clearly marked.

–30–

 City Hall  P.O. Box B  Woonsocket, RI 02895

Telephone (401) 767-9205  Fax (401) 765-4569 E-Mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

Follow us on social media!

Jury selection will continue tomorrow in Donald Trump's historic hush money trial. More than 50 potential jurors were dismissed Monday after saying they could not be fair and impartial. Trump railed against the criminal case against him, calling it a "scam trial" and a "political witch-hunt." Trump is accused of falsifying business records to cover payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election.        The House is expected to send articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to the Senate Tuesday. The move will force the Democratic-led Senate to take up the matter of impeachment against Mayorkas. Republicans in the House impeached Mayorkas in February over his handling of the U.S.-Mexico border.        The House of Representatives is looking to put a financial squeeze on Iran after its massive missile and drone attack against Israel over the weekend. Three bills were brought to the floor Monday aiming to impose penalties on Tehran and its proxies in the Middle East.        The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled Idaho's ban on gender-affirming care will remain in effect while the case is challenged in court. Under a 2023 law, physicians who provide hormones, puberty blockers or other gender-affirming care to people younger than 18 can be sentenced to ten years in prison.        Authorities are confirming the deaths of two Kansas women whose bodies were found in Oklahoma. The bodies of Veronica Butler and Jillian Kelley were found in Texas County, Oklahoma, this past weekend, more than two weeks after the women were last seen. Four people are each facing two counts of first-degree murder.        Three new species of ancient kangaroo have been identified by a research group from Flinders University in South Australia. The research was published in the Megataxa journal and identifies kangaroos that lived between five million and 40-thousand years ago. The heaviest weighed up to 375 pounds, twice as heavy as today's largest kangaroos. At their tallest the ancient creatures would have been six-and-a-half feet tall.        

Old News Archives