Health organizations get $9.1M to bolster services, medical research

PROVIDENCE – Four Rhode Island health care organizations will share $9.1 million from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to strengthen services across the state and support medical research, Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., announced Monday. 

The federal funding will support several key health initiatives, including providing medical care and treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS, emergency medical services for children, expansion of primary care physician and dental residency training, provide voluntary family planning services to Rhode Islanders who desire them and bolster health care services for those in need.  

The funding will also support critical research initiatives into brain science, addiction and nutrition. 

“This federal funding will help deliver comprehensive, accessible medical and dental care to those in need and advance critical research at Brown University,” Reed said.  “Every Rhode Islander deserves access to quality, affordable health care.” 

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Those receiving funding include: 

  • R.I. Department of Health, $3.2 million to administer Ryan White Title II Formula Grants Program to support strengthening HIV/AIDS care and treatment services in Rhode Island, $1.4 million to support providing voluntary family planning services to Rhode islanders who desire them, especially families with low incomes and $190,650 for Emergency Medical Services for Children Partnership Grants to support projects to expand and improve emergency medical services for children who need treatment for trauma or critical care. 
  • Wood River Health Services Inc., $1.8 million to support providing high-quality, affordable medical, dental and social services to the communities of southwestern Rhode Island. 
  • Brown University, $1.8 million for three initiatives: $771,600 to support research on drug abuse, addiction and addressing key barriers within the treatment system; $558,534 for Strong Families Start at Home research, a study examining home-based food parenting/nutrition intervention to improve the diet quality of low-income children; and $541,675 to support brain science research testing neural mechanisms of sequence monitoring in the frontal cortex across species. 
  • Thundermist Health Center’s Teaching Health Center, $500,000 for its Planning and Development Program to support improving and expanding primary care physician and dental residency training in community-based, patient-care settings.