Dear Brown Community Members,

Effective today, Monday, April 19, all individuals 16 years of age and up who live, work or study in Rhode Island are eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine at no cost and with no requirement for insurance. There are multiple ways to make an appointment to get a vaccination in Rhode Island:

• You can make an appointment at one of the state-run vaccination sites, including the Dunkin Donuts Center in downtown Providence, at https://portal.ri.gov/. The Dunkin Donuts Center vaccination clinic operates daily from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm and free parking is available at the Rhode Island Convention Center North Garage. From College Hill the Omni Express (weekdays) and the Omni/Chestnut Express (nights and weekends) shuttle routes offer frequent service and the Omni stop is a 3 minute walk from the entrance to the Dunkin Donuts Center. Shuttle routes and operating hours can be found on the Transportation Office website.

• Several local pharmacies offer COVID-19 vaccination appointments and information can be found on their websites, including: CVS Health, Walgreens, Walmart and Stop & Shop.

• Many cities and towns in Rhode Island are operating local and regional vaccine sites as well. The State’s vaccine locator map includes these sites. Providence residents can find information about vaccine sites available to them on the City of Providence’s vaccine information website.

Consistent with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and the Rhode Island Department of Health, once you have received any COVID-19 vaccine, you do not need to quarantine after being exposed to COVID-19 or traveling to Rhode Island from out-of-state if you meet all of the following criteria:

• you received, at least 14 days before your last exposure or out-of-state travel, a final vaccine dose that is either FDA-approved or received an Emergency Use Authorization;
• it has been less than 90 days since your final vaccine dose; and
• you haven’t had symptoms of COVID-19 since your last exposure or out-of-state travel.

For students who have already been vaccinated, in Rhode Island or elsewhere, or will be vaccinated soon please upload your final vaccination cards directly to the Health Services Patient Portal. For more information, please visit the Verify Your Vaccination information section on the Healthy Brown site.

Eligible employees who have submitted proof of COVID-19 vaccination in Workday can earn $50 toward 2021 Wellness Rewards. Wellness Rewards is the voluntary wellness incentive program designed to help faculty and staff maintain and improve their overall well-being. Additionally, for those needing sick time to support their vaccine recovery, Brown will credit up to two sick days (up to 1 per each vaccination day), as needed. Credit for time off will be updated once per month upon updating your vaccine status in Workday.

Employees should upload their completed vaccination card directly to Workday (click on this link for detailed instructions) or email a pdf or jpeg to Worklife@brown.edu. If submitting via email, please use Virtru to email it securely. All vaccination records will be stored confidentially in Workday and can be loaded via the Vaccine Management link in the Benefits app on your Workday landing page.

Brown does not currently have direct access to or ability to distribute the vaccine ourselves, but we will continue to monitor availability closely and make information available as we receive it. Additional information, answers to frequently asked questions, and more regarding COVID-19 vaccinations can be found on the Vaccination pages of the Healthy Brown website.

Sincerely,
Russell C. Carey
Executive Vice President, Planning and Policy