PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island is receiving around $11.6 million in federal funding to help strengthen the state’s public health care workforce and improve critical health infrastructure.
The state’s congressional delegation – Sens. Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Reps. David N. Cicilline and James R. Langevin, D-R.I. – announced Tuesday the federal funding, from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention via the American Rescue Plan Act, will support various state and local health departments, such as the R.I. Department of Health, over the next five years. The funding is in response to the challenges the health systems faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, the delegation said, and will ensure that such health systems will have the people and services needed to promote public health.
In late October, local health officials said during the 2022 Providence Business News Health Care Summit workforce shortage continues to plague Rhode Island’s health care sector as residents find access to primary care limited while practices struggle to fill positions. Fatigue, burnout and a lack of competitive salaries are some of the factors driving workers from the field, which is not only finding it difficult to attract professionals but also to retain them. Another issue driving people – and women in particular – away from health care is child care accessibility, Dr. Jennifer Nuzzo, inaugural director of the Pandemic Center at Brown University School of Public Health, said during the summit.
The delegation says the state over the next five years can use the funding to recruit, hire, train and retain a diverse public health staff to reduce workforce shortages. Suggested workers to be hired include community health workers, epidemiologists, contact tracers, laboratory scientists and data analysts.
The funding could also be used to build foundational capabilities through strengthened community partnerships that enhance communication and policy development. The monies could be used to increase availability of public health data through improved data infrastructure and interoperability, the delegation said.
“The pandemic exposed gaps in our health care system and put huge strain on professionals in every corner of the medical field,” Whitehouse said in a statement. “We are delivering more resources to strengthen the state’s public health workforce, improve health data sharing, and ultimately, provide better care for Rhode Islanders.”
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.
