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RIHCA - Rhode Island Health Center Association

Latest news and information

Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Chad Brown Health Center merges with Providence Community Health Centers
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Friday, November 18, 2011
RIHCA and Neighborhood's 2011 Policymakers Breakfast on dually eligible participants in Rhode Island - Integrating systems for Medicaid/Medicare recipients to improve care and reduce costs
rihca.org - Rhode Island Health Center Association and NHPRI sponsor forum addressing alignment of health care for dually eligible (Medicare and Medicaid) Rhode Islanders
Dually eligible participants in Rhode Island
Federal perspective on integrating care for Medicare and Medicaid enrollees
New service creation for the dually eligible population in Massachusetts
Providence Business News Coverage of Policymakers Breakfast

Thursday, November 4, 2011
The Little Center That Could
healthcareitnews.com - As Heather Budd tells it, Ray Lavoie, executive director of Blackstone Valley Community Health Care (BVCHC), which serves uninsured and under-insured patients, believes that a small, government-funded health center like Blackstone can provide care that equals or even rivals the care delivered by the private sector.
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Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Thundermist Health Center - CEO Appointed
thundermisthealth.org - Charles T. Jones has been appointed as the permanent President/Chief Executive Officer of Thundermist Health Center, Polly Eddy, Chairwoman of the Thundermist Board of Directors announced today.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Why the Federally-funded Basic Health Program is the Right Choice for Rhode Island
rihca.org - Many healthcare policy makers, participants in the Rhode Island Healthcare Reform Commission and other Rhode Islanders have been discussing whether to implement the Basic Health Program (BHP) option as part of Rhode Island health reform.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Cicilline Reads Aloud to Young Children at East Bay Family Health Care in Support of Reach Out and Read School Readiness Program; Applauds Local Business Leader for Stepping Up to Support Program
cicilline.house.gov - East Providence Family Health Care participates in Reach Out and Read, a program that prepares America’s youngest children to succeed in school by partnering with doctors to prescribe books and encourage families to read together...East Bay Family Health Care is a program of East Bay Community Action Program. East Bay Community Action Program (EBCAP) is a private, nonprofit 501 (c) (3) corporation that provides a wide array of health and human services to the residents of Rhode Island’s east bay.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Rhode Island Health Center Association to Host Annual Meeting: Awards to be Presented to Representative Eileen Naughton, Dr. Jackie Fantes and Ronald Winter
rihca.org - The Rhode Island Health Center Association (RIHCA) will celebrate innovators and leaders in Rhode Island health care at its annual meeting on Monday, October 17, 2011. Dr. Jackie Fantes, Associate Medical Director at Providence Community Health Centers, Inc., will receive the Clinical Leadership Award in recognition of the leadership she provides to the community health centers and providers. Ronald Winter will receive the John J. Cunningham M.D. Distinguished Citizen Award for his longstanding leadership at Rhode Island community health centers. Representative Eileen Naughton will receive the John H. Chafee award for her commitment to primary health care and advocacy on behalf of vulnerable Rhode Islanders in her service as a state representative in the General Assembly.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Oral Health Commission Safety Net Workgroup
Patient Centered Medical-Dental Home Initiatives: A Survey of Current and Future Strategies to Coordinate Care in Rhode Island
Traditionally, medical and dental care have been two separate streams of health care services in the American healthcare system. The current patient-centered medical home movement in the healthcare field presents an unprecedented opportunity for the integration of medical and dental care. While there have been many initiatives to implement the patient-centered medical home in Rhode Island and some work around building dental homes, there has so far been limited integration between the two.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
HHS awards Affordable Care Act funds to improve quality of care and electronic reporting capabilities in Beacon Communities - $8.5 million to fund 85 health centers in 15 Beacon Communities across the country Rhode Island to Receive $800,000 in 8 Communities
HHS.gov – Today, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Administrator, Dr. Mary Wakefield, and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, Dr. Farzad Mostashari, announced awards of $8.5 million to 85 community health center programs, located in 15 of the 17 Beacon Communities throughout the United States. These funds, made available through HRSA under the Affordable Care Act, help support health centers with the adoption of health information technology (HIT) to support long-term improvements in quality of care, health outcomes and cost efficiencies.
Tuesday, August 24, 2011
Caring for Citizens, Creating Jobs - Historic Community Health Center a “Powerful Engine” which Significantly Impacts Area Economy
rihca.org – Capital Link, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to expanding community-based health care, recently released a 2009 economic impact statement produced in conjunction with the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) calculating the effect of WellOne Primary Medical and Dental Care’s Pascoag, Foster, and North Kingstown health centers on the local community.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Blackstone Valley Community Health Care spotlighted by the Office of National Coordinator Case Study
In July 2007, BVCHC converted to NextGen Electronic Medical and Dental Record systems. Implementation of the system was “out of the box” and all available functions were put into use at the time of implementation. BVCHC acquired an enterprise-level NextGen practice license that supports deploying the system in 100 practices on a common database.
Monday, July 25, 2011
Thundermist opens new West Warwick medical offices in the Cotton Shed
630wpro.com - A ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday marks the opening of the new Thundermist Health Center in the former "Cotton Shed" in West Warwick. The new center is intended to embrace the precepts of the national health care reform, including a commmunity-based approach. .
Monday, July 18, 2011
Blackstone Valley Community Health Care breaks ground on new healthcare facility in Pawtucket
WPRI.com - Ground breaking began at the new health care complex in Pawtucket on Monday. The new medical complex is a $6.7-million facility for Blackstone Valley Community Health Care (BVCHC). Scheduled to open in September 2012, the complex is aimed at providing more accessible health care coverage for patients and promises shorter wait times with the new 32,000 square-foot building.
Monday, June 27, 2011
The Aging Brain: Sponsored by the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and Department of Neurology at Butler Hospital
Neurological problems are highly prevalent in the elderly, and increase with age, thus increasing the need for early recognition, management and treatment. The goals of this conference are for participants to be better able to diagnose neurological problems in the elderly and distinguish normal from pathological changes of aging, know who to refer for specialty consultations, manage depression in the elderly, and classify the various dementing and behavioral abnormalities common in the elderly.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Providence Center clinic integrates treatment of mental and physical disorders
projo.com - “Anywhere you go in the nation, if you want to see a medical doctor you have to say something hurts,” says Nelly Burdette, director of integrated care at the Providence Center. “If you don’t say something hurts, or they can’t see what’s wrong with you, they might send you to a mental-health specialist. Then, there may or may not be a lot of collaboration between two different practices, two different ways of seeing the world.”
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
The National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program application cycle is now open!
What is the NHSC Scholarship Program? The NHSC awards scholarships each year to students pursuing careers in primary care. The scholarship includes:
  • Payment for tuition, required fees, and other reasonable educational costs
  • Monthly support stipend (taxable)
  • Assistance in finding a practice site
In return, students commit to serve in the Corps for two to four years in an underserved community located in a Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) upon their graduation and licensure.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Access to dental care improves in R.I. but obstacles remain
projo.com - Access to dental care in Rhode Island improved significantly between 2005 and 2009, but obstacles remain for people who don’t have dental insurance or who are covered by the state Medicaid program.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Four Community Health Centers Awarded Blue Angel Health Grants.
Chad Brown Health Center, Providence Community Health Center, and Thundermist Community Health Center are 2011 Blue Angel Community Health Grant recipients. WellOne (formerly known as Northwest Community Health Center) was a 2010 grant recipient and funded for a second year in 2011.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Diabetes and Nutrition Health Fair
Blackstone Valley Community Health Care is planning to have a Diabetes and Nutrition Health Fair on Saturday May 21st from 9AM to 12PM at the Blackstone Valley Visitor Center, 175 Main Street Pawtucket, RI (Across the street from Slater Mill). For more information, select a flyer:
Monday, April 19, 2011
U.S. Congressman Cicilline Tours Historic Non-Profit Community Health Center
PASCOAG, RI – U.S. Congressman David Cicilline (D-RI) visited WellOne Primary Medical and Dental Care this week to discuss how to partner together to address the critical healthcare needs of Burrillville’s and Glocester’s citizens.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
U.S. Congressman Cicilline Tours Historic Non-Profit Community Health Center
PASCOAG, RI – U.S. Congressman David Cicilline (D-RI) visited WellOne Primary Medical and Dental Care this week to discuss how to partner together to address the critical healthcare needs of Burrillville’s and Glocester’s citizens.
Monday, April 19, 2011
U.S. Congressman Cicilline Tours Historic Non-Profit Community Health Center
PASCOAG, RI – U.S. Congressman David Cicilline (D-RI) visited WellOne Primary Medical and Dental Care this week to discuss how to partner together to address the critical healthcare needs of Burrillville’s and Glocester’s citizens.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Groundbreaking set for office, retail complex in S. Providence
projo.com - After six years of planning, construction will begin Monday on the largest private development in South Providence, a medical, office and retail complex. The $42-million project, on the site of the former Federated Lithographers building at 369 Prairie Ave., will consist of three buildings — a new home for the Providence Community Health Center, an office building and a drugstore.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Study to look at factors in children’s health
projo.com - “Why is it,” asked Raymond J. Lavoie, executive director of Blackstone Valley Community Health Care, “that some children develop such diseases as asthma, autism and diabetes, while others grow up healthy?”
Monday, January 24, 2011
WellOne Primary Medical and Dental Care Recognized for Innovative Behavioral Health Practices
rihca.org - WellOne Primary Medical and Dental Care announced today that it has been approved for $25,000 year two transitional funding for its Primary Care Community Health Setting: Improving Access to Behavioral Health Care program through Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island’s BlueAngel Community Health Grant (BACHG).

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