Dubious 'Free COVID-19 Testing' sites in Smithfield and West Warwick facing scrutiny
New storefronts in Smithfield and West Warwick that claim to offer free COVID-19 testing are part of a national network accused of failing to provide test results, delivering incorrect diagnoses and being a "scam" designed to harvest people's personal information.
The so-called "Center for COVID Control" has drawn complaints in multiple states and is now facing scrutiny by the Rhode Island Department of Health.
The chain's two Rhode Island sites are at 1745 Main St. in the Crompton section of West Warwick, near Family Dollar, and at 9 Cedar Swamp Rd. in Smithfield, behind the Apple Valley Mall.
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When a Providence Journal reporter stopped by between 11 a.m. and noon on Wednesday, both sites had posted handmade signs saying that they were closed, despite indicating online that they were open.
Calls to the phone numbers listed for the testing facilities were not returned, and the signs gave no indication of when they would reopen.
Complaints about the COVID test sites
That appears to be a common occurrence, based on the negative online reviews for both testing sites.
"People were in line for two hours hoping they would be there," one Google reviewer wrote after repeatedly trying but failing to get tested at the West Warwick site during its stated operating hours. "I feel like it’s a scam."
"Got there @ 8:30 am today along with about 20 other people, it was under 32F outside," wrote another who went to the Smithfield site. "We all waited outside from 8:55 am until 9:30 am, when we all decided to leave because no one showed up."
Others said that they had managed to get tested, but the company never sent them the results.
"Took a rapid test and was told it would be emailed within 30 mins on 01/05," says one review of the West Warwick site. "I never got my results and now i have no idea if I had it or not."
What is the Center for COVID Control?
The Center for COVID Control claims to operate more than 300 sites across 29 states. As USA TODAY reported last week, numerous test-takers nationwide have raised concerns about the company, saying its testing sites do not appear to be professionally run or following basic health protocols.
One woman in Minnesota felt uneasy enough to get a second test at a different location, which came back positive, while her Center for COVID Control test was negative. Similarly, a Michigan man was told that his rapid test had been positive while he was still at the site, but then received an email later that day saying it had been negative.
Authorities in multiple states have warned people to watch out for fraudulent COVID testing sites that may be trying to obtain their personal information, USA TODAY reported.
The Rhode Island Department of Health is "aware of concerns about these sites’ compliance with regulatory requirements for testing locations," spokesman Joseph Wendelken wrote in an email. "We have had inspectors out, and our legal and regulatory teams are currently doing a review."
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How to find authorized COVID tests
The Center for COVID Control has not been submitting results to state health officials, Wendelken said.
People looking to get tested for COVID should use the state's online test locator, found at covid.ri.gov/testing, "or seek a test in a trusted health-care setting, such as a pharmacy," Wendelken said.
The state also maintains a regularly updated list of clinics and pharmacies that offer COVID testing, and it publishes a weekly list of community clinics that take place at churches, libraries and other nontraditional locations.
The Rhode Island attorney general's office is "aware of concerns about unauthorized testing locations, and we are looking into it," said spokeswoman Kristy dosReis.
Rhode Islanders who have questions or wish to file a complaint are being directed to call the attorney general’s consumer-protection unit at (401) 274-4400 or e-mail consumers@riag.ri.gov.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Center for COVID Control test sites in RI draw scrutiny
