I’ve just returned from a brief research trip to Lithuania, which wasn’t focused on health care. But while I was there, I had the opportunity to discuss the Lithuanian health care system with a colleague who runs the district health center of a small Lithuanian city. I learned that Lithuania, like most of Europe and […]
Environment & Health
Posted inEnvironment & Health
Sandy Point Beach in Portsmouth reopens after bacteria levels return to safe levels
The Rhode Island Department of Health has cleared Sandy Point Beach for swimming after bacteria counts returned to safe levels, the agency announced Thursday. Third Beach in Middletown and City Park Beach in Warwick remain under swimming advisories due to high bacteria counts. Beach status may change as new water quality data becomes available. Up-to-date […]
Posted inEnvironment & Health
Health department recommends against swimming at Third Beach, Sandy Point, and City Park Beach
The Rhode Island Department of Health is recommending that swimmers avoid three local beaches due to high bacteria counts: Third Beach in Middletown, Sandy Point Beach in Portsmouth, and City Park Beach in Warwick. Beach status may change as new water quality data becomes available. Up-to-date information is available through RIDOH’s beaches telephone line at […]
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Free skin cancer screenings coming to Easton’s Beach and other Rhode Island beaches this summer
Rhode Island beachgoers will have the chance to get a free skin cancer screening this summer, with dermatologists from Brown Health Dermatology setting up at Easton’s Beach and four other locations across the state between mid-July and mid-August. The first local stop is Easton’s Beach in Newport on Friday, July 10, from 1:30 to 3:30 […]
Posted inEnvironment & Health
State agencies advise avoiding contact with three Rhode Island waterbodies over algae blooms
The Rhode Island Department of Health and Department of Environmental Management are advising people to avoid contact with three waterbodies, including Upper Melville Pond in Portsmouth, because of harmful algae blooms. The advisory also applies to Wenscott Reservoir in North Providence and Wilson Reservoir in Burrillville. Water samples were collected by DEM and tested by […]
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Involuntary: The independence we struggle to protect
On June 12, at CCRI, there was a free, invitation-only, screening of Involuntary, a 13-minute, short film followed by a moderated panel discussion featuring award-winning filmmakers, Dana White and Chris Knoblock; Rhode Island State Representative Lauren Carson; Elizabeth Shields,MD, a family medicine physician in private-pay practice; Partanja Spann, Director of Rhode Island Outreach for Newport […]
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RIDOH recommends reopening swimming areas at Hazards and Gooseberry beaches in Newport
The Rhode Island Department of Health is recommending that the swimming areas at Hazards and Gooseberry beaches in Newport reopen after bacteria counts returned to safe levels. The recommendation comes days after the department advised closing the swimming areas at both beaches, along with several others in Jamestown and Tiverton, because of high bacteria counts. […]
Posted inEnvironment & Health
RIDOH recommends swimming advisories at five beaches in Jamestown, Newport and Tiverton
The Rhode Island Department of Health is recommending the closure of swimming areas at five beaches in Jamestown, Newport and Tiverton because of high bacteria counts. The recommended closures apply to Mackerel Cove Beach in Jamestown, Hazards Beach and Gooseberry Beach in Newport, and Fogland Beach and Grinnell’s Beach in Tiverton, the department said. State […]
Posted inEnvironment & Health
RIDOH recommends reopening swimming at Easton’s Beach in Newport
The Rhode Island Department of Health is recommending that the swimming areas at Easton’s Beach in Newport and Briar Point Beach in Coventry reopen after bacteria counts returned to safe levels. The recommendation comes two days after the department advised closing the swimming areas at both beaches, along with Oakland Beach in Warwick, because of […]
Posted inEnvironment & Health
RIDOH recommends closing swimming areas at three Rhode Island beaches, including Easton’s Beach
The Rhode Island Department of Health is recommending the closure of swimming areas at three beaches, including Easton’s Beach in Newport, because of high bacteria counts. The recommendation also applies to Oakland Beach in Warwick and Briar Point Beach in Coventry, the department said. State health officials will continue to monitor and review beach water […]
Posted inEnvironment & Health
Rhode Island issues another air quality alert for Thursday
The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management has issued a statewide air quality alert for Thursday, June 11, forecasting ground-level ozone that will reach unhealthy levels for sensitive groups. It is the third such alert the department has issued in under a week, as a stretch of warm summer weather continues to drive elevated ozone. […]
Posted inEnvironment & Health
Officials warn against contact with Newport’s Almy Pond over algae bloom
The Rhode Island Department of Health and the Department of Environmental Management are advising people to avoid all contact with Almy Pond in Newport because of a harmful algae bloom. The agencies said all recreation at the pond, including swimming, fishing, boating and kayaking, is high risk and should be avoided. The bloom is caused […]
Posted inEnvironment & Health
RIDOH recommends reopening swimming area at Easton’s Beach
This story was originally published at 5:01 p.m. on May 29. It has been updated with news of the reopening. The Rhode Island Department of Health is recommending that the swimming area at Easton’s Beach reopen after bacteria counts returned to safe levels, the agency said Monday. The recommendation reverses a closure issued late last […]
Posted inCity & Government
DEM reopens 462-acre Portsmouth shellfishing area for first time since 1975
A 462-acre shellfishing area along the Portsmouth shoreline just south of the Mount Hope Bridge will reopen for the first time since 1975, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management announced. The area has met water quality and shellfish sanitation criteria and will be upgraded from prohibited to approved for harvest on May 23. DEM […]
Posted inEnvironment & Health
Rhode Island Department of Health reminds residents to take precautions during extreme heat
The Rhode Island Department of Health is reminding residents to take safety precautions during the ongoing heat. When it is very hot and humid, sweating isn’t enough to cool the body, and body temperature can rise quickly, the department said. High temperatures can cause heat stroke, heat exhaustion or heat cramps. Certain populations are at […]
Posted inEnvironment & Health
RI health officials urge tick and mosquito bite prevention as warmer weather arrives
With warmer weather settling in across the state, the Rhode Island Department of Health is reminding residents to take steps to prevent tick and mosquito bites when spending time outdoors. State officials said avoiding bites is the most effective way to prevent the spread of tick-borne illnesses such as Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis and babesiosis, […]
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DEM closes Lower Providence River shellfish area after 800,000-gallon sewage discharge in East Providence
The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management has closed the Lower Providence River conditional shellfish area, known as Area 16E, after a break in an East Providence sewage line discharged roughly 800,000 gallons of untreated sewage into the river. The closure took effect immediately and will remain in place until further notice, DEM said in […]
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Dr. Michael Fine: What’s crazy about dental cleanings and prevention
I’m a big fan of prevention, understanding that everyone dies of something, and not all health problems are preventable. That said, it’s crazy how our fears about illness and death overwhelm our better judgment from time to time, and how people with a service to sell sometimes let their ambition get in front of the […]
Posted inEnvironment & Health
Boil water notice lifted for Stone Bridge Fire District customers in Tiverton
The precautionary boil water notice issued last week to Stone Bridge Fire District customers has been lifted, the Rhode Island Department of Health announced. The advisory was issued April 24 after a water main break threatened to cause a loss of pressure across multiple areas of the system. The Stone Bridge Fire District, which serves […]
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Rhode Island confirms second measles case of 2026 in patient seen at Middletown urgent care
A woman in her 20s has tested positive for measles after being treated at Brown University Health Urgent Care in Middletown, marking the second confirmed case of the highly contagious illness in Rhode Island this year, state health officials announced Saturday. The Rhode Island Department of Health said the patient had recently traveled from outside […]
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Six animals test positive for rabies in Providence County, health officials warn
At least six animals in Providence County have tested positive for rabies over the past six weeks, the Rhode Island Department of Health said Friday, prompting a renewed warning to residents to steer clear of wildlife and keep pet vaccinations current. Since March 12, three raccoons in Burrillville, one bat and one coyote in Lincoln, […]
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Dr. Michael Fine: What’s crazy about what insurance companies want – and a little about our politics
I was asked to look at a few bills about primary care that were presented this week for hearing in the legislature. One of these bills allows physicians to charge administrative or operational fees to support their overhead. Another allows physicians to charge optional fees for non-covered services. Another keeps insurers from requiring physicians to […]
Posted inEnvironment & Health
Beyond the Labels: How the Rhode Island state Ombudsman helps keep the person at the center of care
Person-centered care is in the headlines a lot. But before we had that language, care was often designed around tasks and diagnosis. Necessary, but incomplete. Over time, something important can get lost and a person’s identity can quietly be replaced by a label, shrinking the value of the individual and what matters to the person. […]
Posted inCity & Government
EPA honors Rhode Island drinking water project among nation’s best
A drinking water infrastructure project in Scituate that brought safe, reliable water to 23 elderly residents has earned national recognition from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA this week named the consolidation project at the Scituate Housing Authority’s Rockland Oaks Senior Housing Community, Scituate High School and Scituate Middle School as one of five […]
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Sen. Euer’s bill to protect contraceptive coverage regardless of federal law heard in committee
Legislation that would require Rhode Island health insurers to cover contraceptives at no cost, independent of federal law, was heard in the Senate Health and Human Services Committee Tuesday. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Dawn Euer, who represents Newport and Jamestown, is aimed at preserving contraceptive coverage for Rhode Islanders even if the Affordable Care […]