PROVIDENCE – R.I. Executive Office of Health and Human Services Secretary Richard Charest will retire on July 3, Gov. Daniel J. McKee announced Friday.
Charest has led the agency since 2023 after previously serving as director of the Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals.
He will remain in his post through his retirement date to support a transition, officials said.
In announcing the departure, McKee credited Charest with helping advance several major health care initiatives, including securing a $156 million federal Rural Health Transformation grant aimed at expanding access to care in rural communities.
His tenure also included the rollout of Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics, the expansion of Mobile Response and Stabilization Services for children in mental health crisis, and workforce-development efforts through the “Ladders to Licensure” program.
Charest also oversaw $6.7 million in Medicaid-funded grants to primary care practices and supported ongoing efforts to reduce overdose deaths in Rhode Island, which have declined since 2022, according to the administration.
The administration also pointed to progress on behavioral health system expansion, including restoration work at Eleanor Slater Hospital and development of the state’s first standalone psychiatric hospital.
“Secretary Charest has been a steady, thoughtful leader who has helped move some of the most important health care priorities in our state forward,” McKee said.
Charest called serving in state government “one of the most meaningful chapters” of his career and said he is confident in the agency’s continued work.
A plan for interim leadership will be announced prior to his departure, officials said.
Matthew McNulty is a PBN staff writer. He can be reached at McNulty@PBN.com or on X at @MattMcNultyNYC.