Clinical Pharmacists are part of the interdisciplinary medical team at Lifespan’s Rhode Island Hospital Center for Primary Care and Specialty Medicine (CPC) in Providence, RI. The team also includes a practice manager, outpatient service representatives (OSR), medical assistants, clinical social workers, nurses, nurse practitioners, physicians and medical residents.

CPC serves a diverse population – its patient panel of nearly 16,000 comprises approximately 25% African Americans and 39% Spanish-speaking patients, populations that have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. Most of CPC’s patients live within walking distance of the center or rely on public transportation to access care. Despite Rhode Island’s small geographic footprint, patients had limited access to COVID-19 state testing sites, because many were drive-up sites where individuals were tested from within their vehicles.

To provide improved access to COVID-19 testing for CPC patients, ACCP member Ruth Dapaah-Afriyie , Pharm.D., BCACP, Senior Clinical Pharmacist Specialist,  joined forces with other members of the CPC team to establish a COVID-19 testing center in one of the clinic parking lots. The testing center was funded by the Rhode Island National Guard. The team also received guidance from state officials and visited other testing sites, including one the first state testing sites launched on the main campus of Rhode Island Hospital.

Thanks provisions of the U.S. Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act of March 2020 (the PREP Act) authorizing pharmacists to order and administer COVID-19 tests, CPC’s clinical pharmacists have been able to contribute to improved access to testing for their patients. The CPC testing site opened on May 11, 2020 and is operating 2 hours per day. To date, the site has reached a peak testing rate of 16 tests per 30 minutes, helping Rhode Island achieve the distinction of being the first state to test 20% of its population.