PROVIDENCE – The R.I. Department of Heath will receive $2.3 million in federal funds this year for immunization and vaccine programs, Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., announced Thursday.
The funds will be used to improve immunization levels for youths and to eliminate preventable diseases among children in the Ocean State.
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The R.I. Department of Health said the funding helps it distribute recommended vaccines to health care providers at no cost, to be provided to eligible patients for free.
The federal funds may be used to vaccinate uninsured children, underinsured children and children on Medicaid for no cost, Reed’s office said.
The funds are allocated by the U.S. Health and Human Services Department’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. RIDOH is expected to receive $11.3 million over the next five years for the vaccination program.
Rhode Island has had among the highest rates of child vaccination in the nation in recent years.
“The immunization efforts that this funding supports are critical parts of our public health response to infectious diseases and are key to our work to give every person in every ZIP code in Rhode Island an equal opportunity to be healthy,” said Ana Novais, deputy director of the R.I. Department of Health, in a statement. “Countless children have been spared the serious health consequences of many diseases because Rhode Island communities are so well-vaccinated. This funding will help us continue this vital work and remain a national leader.”
