Vaccines are the best way to prevent serious illness and death from many infectious diseases. Vaccines protect people by preparing their immune systems to recognize and fight vaccine preventable diseases. Vaccines also protect communities by reducing the spread of illness.
The Food and Drug Administration adheres to rigorous testing standards before licensing vaccines to ensure vaccine safety. Leaders in the fields of medicine and public health recommend vaccines for children, adolescents, and adults to prevent disease.
Learn more about the right vaccines for you and your family in RIDOH's A Guide to Vaccines: Your Pathway to Lifelong Protection.
What You Should Do
Parents
Make sure your children are up to date on all recommended vaccinations for infants and children, and recommended vaccinations for preteens and teens. Ask your children’s pediatrician about vaccinations at each visit.
Children without doctors who are uninsured can be vaccinated at the Asthenis Public Health Hub. Older children can also be immunized through Vaccinate Before You Graduate, a catch-up program run at Rhode Island middle and high schools.
Adults
Several factors determine what immunizations adults need. Speak with a healthcare professional or review RIDOH's A Guide to Vaccines: Your Pathway to Lifelong Protection to know what immunizations you need.
Travelers
If you are planning to travel outside of the United States, you can get recommended vaccines at travel clinics.
People Who Will be in Contact with Infants
Adults and adolescents who will be around infants should be vaccinated with a single dose of Tdap. This could include parents, siblings, grandparents, babysitters, and other childcare providers. Tdap protects against pertussis, among other diseases. Infants are too young to be fully immunized against pertussis, but you can reduce an infant's exposure to the illness by only letting them come into contact with people who are vaccinated. This practice is called cocooning.
Where You Can Find Vaccine Clinics and Programs
You can find local vaccine clinics and programs in these places:
- Asthenis Public Health Hub: Offers a range of vaccinations for children and adults.
- Vaccinate Before You Graduate: A program designed to ensure middle and high school students are up-to-date on their vaccines.
- VaxAssist: Find COVID-19, flu, RSV, and pneumococcal pneumonia vaccines based on your location and vaccine type.
Community Clinics
The 2025-2026 COVID-19 vaccine is available at school and community clinics throughout the state. These clinics are held at schools in the late afternoon and evening and are open to the entire community. You can register for either COVID-19 vaccine (available at these clinics for people age 5 or older), flu vaccine (available at these clinics for people age 3 or older), or both vaccines. Register for COVID-19 and/or flu vaccine at school and community clinics at schoolflu.com.
- It's safe to get both vaccines at the same visit
- No insurance required
- No out-of-pocket cost for vaccination
- You can get the 2025-2026 COVID-19 vaccine even if you haven't gotten a COVID-19 vaccine in the past
You must pre-register to guarantee an appointment. You can select any available timeslot as a placeholder. Walk-ins are accepted on a limited basis, as resources allow.
What We Are Doing
Rhode Island provides healthcare professionals with all recommended routine vaccines for children. Rhode Island also provides healthcare professionals with most recommended vaccines for adults. Although some healthcare professionals may charge patients small fees to give them vaccines, Rhode Island gives these vaccines to healthcare professionals free of charge.
The Rhode Island Department of Health also works with mass immunizers, schools, healthcare professionals, and many others to make vaccines available in the community.
