PROVIDENCE – Four organizations across the city will receive a total of
$7.9 million in grants to provide dental care for children, R.I. Attorney General Peter F. Neronha and the Rhode Island Foundation announced Tuesday.
The funding comes from a $10 million civil settlement
reached last year with Barletta Heavy Division over contaminated fill dumped during construction of the Route 6/10 connector project in Providence.
The grants will distributed through the Rhode Island Attorney General’s 6/10 Children’s Fund, which was established as part of the settlement.
“Dental care is health care, especially for young children,” Neronha said in a statement. He cited low Medicaid reimbursement rates as a key barrier, noting that nearly 40% of Rhode Island children lack access to quality dental care. “No child should suffer tooth or gum pain because of government inaction,” he said.
The grants will be used to expand access to dental care for children in Providence, targeting neighborhoods with high health disparities and addressing what state officials call a long‑standing gap in pediatric oral health services.
David N. Cicilline, president and CEO of the Rhode Island Foundation, said the funding is designed to close access gaps and deliver long‑term benefits.
“Focusing services on neighborhoods where health disparities are high will help create pathways to a brighter future for children and their families,” he said.
The grant recipients are:
- Providence Community Health Centers: $2.7 million over three years to support a partnership with the Community College of Rhode Island and Children’s Friend. The program will provide mobile, school‑based and community dental screenings, sealants, fluoride treatments and education, with referrals to PCHC’s pediatric dental clinic, which serves about 18,000 patients annually.
- Tri‑County Community Action Agenc: $2.5 million over three years to identify children with unmet dental needs and expand care at its Pediatric Dental Center, including specialized treatment and full‑mouth rehabilitation under general anesthesia at Fatima Hospital.
- Samuels Sinclair Dental Center at Rhode Island Hospital: $2 million over three years to increase patient capacity by adding a dentist and dental assistants, expanding care for children with complex medical needs.
- Comprehensive Community Action Program: $725,000 over three years to expand school‑based and mobile dental services, hire a bilingual provider, strengthen partnerships with pediatric practices, and launch bilingual outreach efforts.
Veer Mudambi is the special projects editor of the Providence Business News. He can be reached at mudambi@pbn.com.
