PROVIDENCE – Gov. Daniel J. McKee and the R.I. Department of Health recently announced the state will make up to $90,000 in grant funding available to primary care sites to train and mentor more students.
The program – RIDOH’s Primary Care Training Sites Program – is accepting applications and is supported by $2.7 million in state general revenue funding.
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“The Primary Care Training Sites Program is one of many steps we are taking across our administration to bolster primary care in Rhode Island,” McKee said. “Accessible, quality primary care can lower rates of chronic conditions, lessen the burden on our hospital system and bring down Rhode Island’s overall health care costs in line with the goals of our RI 2030 plan.”
The program is meant to encourage trainees in primary care to stay in Rhode Island after completing their education.
“Primary care is the backbone of the health care system in Rhode Island,” said Dr. Jerome Larkin, RIDOH director.
Right now, the state is on track to be short by about 100 primary care providers by 2030, potentially leaving 1 in 5 Rhode Islanders without a provider, said Sen. Pamela Lauria, D-Barrington, who introduced legislation to begin the program last year.
“Rhode Island has a critical shortage of primary care providers, one that is only going to get worse swiftly if we don’t take action,” Lauria said.
The program is being run in partnership with the Care Transformation Collaborative of Rhode Island, or CTC-RI, and was originally co-convened by the R.I. Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner and the R.I. Executive Office of Health and Human Services. It works to support initiatives across the state to improve primary care.
CTC-RI is working on a program curriculum that will use preceptors – health care professionals who supervise and mentor students in a clinic.
“While there’s no single solution to our workforce crisis, adding primary care specific training and capacity will help us increase the provider pipeline, resulting in more access for Rhode Islanders,” said Debra Hurwitz, former executive director of CTC-RI.
The program has a goal of increasing the state’s training capacity by 50% for nurse practitioners, physician assistant students and physician residents. Participating sites can receive up to $90,000 per year and will get funding based on the expected number of trainees enrolled.
Primary care students in training can conduct patient assessments, help with medical procedures, create treatment plans under supervision or learn how to coordinate care within a health care team.
All applicants must be fully registered in the R.I. Division of Purchases’ Ocean State Procures system with a current, signed W-9 form uploaded. Full registration is required to receive a purchase order and begin work. Since approval can take up to three weeks, applicants are encouraged to complete registration before applying to avoid funding delays.
Katie Castellani is a PBN staff writer. You may contact her at Castellani@PBN.com.
