Ok. We are somewhere between 50,000 and 300,000 doctors short. Probably more, given our current approach to immigration, because 25 percent of all doctors in the US come from other countries – because we don’t send enough of our own students to medical school. Instead, we import our doctors from elsewhere, from places who need […]
Environment & Health
Posted inColumns
Caught off guard: Involuntary discharge and why it belongs in your aging plan
Recently, I was working with The Edward King House Senior Center, The Senior Agenda Coalition of Rhode Island (SACRI) and Age-Friendly Rhode Island to bring an invitation-only screening of the film Involuntary and a panel discussion to Newport. While this screening has been postponed, one thing became clear to me: many people don’t know what […]
Posted inColumns
Dr. Michael Fine: What’s crazy about keeping Roger Williams and Fatima Hospitals alive?
We are now seeing the predictable twisting in the wind as our state leadership struggles with what to do about Roger Williams and Fatima Hospitals, which are bankrupt. Nobody in state government likes to see hospitals close, in part because people work at hospitals and those people vote, and their unions have lobbying power. That […]
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Menopause and Beyond: Whole-person care for every stage of a woman’s life
For many women, menopause marks a turning point—but not an endpoint. It’s a phase that can bring physical changes, emotional shifts, and new questions about long-term health. Yet too often, women feel unprepared for what’s ahead or unsure where to turn for guidance. At the South County Health Center for Women’s Health—now welcoming patients in […]
Posted inCity & Government
Rhode Island recommends AAP vaccine schedule following CDC changes
The Rhode Island Department of Health and the Northeast Public Health Collaborative are recommending families follow the American Academy of Pediatrics’ vaccine schedule in the wake of recent changes to federal childhood immunization guidance. On Jan. 5, Acting Director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention signed a decision memorandum that reduced the […]
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The Unique Role of a Women’s Health Provider
Supporting Health Through Every Chapter At South County Health’s Center for Women’s Health, providers take a comprehensive, patient-centered approach to supporting women’s health through every stage of life. As care needs evolve, providers including OB-GYNs, physician assistants, and certified nurse midwives offer expertise designed to meet women where they are in each chapter. Care That […]
Posted inEnvironment & Health
Dr. Michael Fine: What’s crazy about medicine
This week’s column is about two apparently unrelated events: my re-reading of The Citadel, by AJ Cronin, a classic novel/tearjerker about a British General Practitioner, written in 1937, and the new nutrition guidelines from HHS put forward by RFK Jr. There is a common thread, I promise, which is that medicine and health are not the […]
Posted inEnvironment & Health
Rhode Island urges vaccinations as flu, COVID-19 hospitalizations climb
Health officials are urging Rhode Islanders to get vaccinated and take precautions as respiratory virus activity reaches high levels across the state. This flu season, 496 people have been hospitalized with influenza and seven have died from flu-related causes, according to the Rhode Island Department of Health. An additional 297 people have been hospitalized with […]
Posted inArts & Culture
New docuseries exploring Rhode Island’s coastal ecosystem premieres Friday
A new documentary series celebrating Rhode Island’s coastal wildlife and conservation efforts premieres Friday on Ocean State Media. “Ocean State: Rhode Island’s Wild Coast” debuts with its first episode, “Secrets of the Seagrass,” at 8 p.m. Jan. 9 on WSBE. The episode will be followed by a re-run of “Chasing Fins,” a short documentary about […]
Posted inEnvironment & Health
Brown University Health moves to respiratory virus status red across all facilities
Brown University Health will require masking at all facilities in Rhode Island and Massachusetts starting Tuesday due to high community transmission of influenza and other respiratory viruses. The red status designation applies to all Brown University Health hospitals and affiliates, including Newport Hospital, Rhode Island Hospital, The Miriam Hospital, Bradley Hospital, Gateway Healthcare, Saint Anne’s […]
Posted inCity & Government
URI and local colleges seek hunter-harvested ducks for groundbreaking microplastics study
Local duck hunters have a unique opportunity to contribute to scientific research this month as University of Rhode Island researchers and their colleagues from three other Rhode Island institutions launch a study examining microplastic contamination in Narragansett Bay waterfowl. Postdoctoral fellows Tori Mezebish Quinn and Dylan Bakner, along with Professor Scott McWilliams from URI’s Department […]
Posted inEnvironment & Health
Charlotte, Noah top Rhode Island’s most popular baby names in 2025
Charlotte and Noah were the most popular baby names in Rhode Island in 2025, according to preliminary data released Monday by the Rhode Island Department of Health. Charlotte topped the list for girls for the second consecutive year, with 51 babies given the name. Noah led the boys’ list with 63 babies, jumping from third […]
Posted inNews
Brown University Health moves to ‘Status Yellow,’ requiring masks at all facilities
Brown University Health will require masks at all of its facilities in Rhode Island and Massachusetts starting Thursday due to high community transmission rates of influenza and other respiratory viruses. The move comes as Rhode Island Department of Health data shows respiratory virus activity increasing sharply across the state. Flu-related emergency department visits have surged […]
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South County Health offers free childbirth classes to support growing families
Preparing to welcome a new baby is one of life’s most exciting—and sometimes overwhelming—moments. To help parents feel confident, supported, and ready for their childbirth experience, South County Health offers free childbirth education classes, now available in Newport. Newport area courses are held at the Newport County YMCA in Middletown and led by Victoria Gatling, […]
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Dr. Michael Fine: What’s crazy about the Hepatitis B Vaccine and SNAP
This has been two weeks of particular craziness in health care, in which everyone, on all sides, did their level best at missing the boat. First, our friends at CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices went ahead and changed the recommendation for Hepatitis B vaccine for newborns, a crazy change if ever there was one. […]
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The Doctor’s In Your House: How at-home urgent care is changing the visit
Getting urgent or emergency care when you need can be a stressful ordeal. When someone is sick or injured, it could mean reshaping daily life to get care, and for some, that simply isn’t doable. At best, the disruption is temporary. But for older adults, busy families, people with mobility limitations, or those who are […]
Posted inColumns
Dr. Michael Fine: What’s crazy about vaccines and RFK Jr., redux
First, now is the time to get a flu shot if you haven’t gotten one already. Flu is spreading in some southern and western states. Holiday travel will bring it here. Don’t delay. That said, I got the bill for the COVID-19 shot I had last month. Or rather, I got a record of the […]
Posted inBusiness
CVS Health tops Q3 forecasts but absorbs hefty charge for struggling clinic business
By TOM MURPHY AP Health Writer CVS Health rode double-digit sales growth from drugstores and its pharmacy benefits management business to a better-than-expected third quarter. The health care giant also hiked its 2025 forecast well above Wall Street estimates. But it booked a nearly $6-billion charge in the quarter for scaling back a care delivery […]
Posted inEnvironment & Health, News
State officials warn public to avoid Upper Melville Pond due to harmful algae bloom
State health and environmental officials are urging the public to stay away from Upper Melville Pond after confirming a harmful cyanobacteria bloom in the Portsmouth waterbody. The Rhode Island Department of Health and Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management issued the advisory Monday, warning that swimming, fishing, boating and kayaking pose health risks at the […]
Posted inColumns
Dr. Michael Fine: What’s crazy about COVID-19 and the flu vaccine now
I had a COVID-19 vaccine last week. I’m traveling in 10 days and wanted to make sure I don’t get sick when I’m traveling. Better safe than sorry – better jabbed than stuck in a hotel room for five extra days, unable to go out. Or hospitalized. The COVID-19 vaccine was easy to get and […]
Posted inEnvironment & Health
UPDATE: Newport’s Drug Take Back Day on Oct. 25 canceled due to government shutdown
Newport’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, scheduled for Oct. 25, has been canceled due to the federal government shutdown, according to the Newport Prevention Coalition. Melanie Saunders, coordinator of the Newport Prevention Coalition, confirmed the cancellation in a message sent Thursday morning. “I was informed on Tuesday that Drug Take Back Day, originally scheduled […]
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Dr. Michael Fine: Three things that are smart, not crazy, about health care
Three logical, smart, and hopeful things happened in health care in the past few weeks. I’m glad to be able to tell you about them. The first good thing is that the Rhode Island Department of Health joined Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, Maine, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York to form the Northeast Public Health […]
Posted inEnvironment & Health, News, People & Profiles
Breast cancer cases increase, while the death rate decreases
More than 1,100 women in Rhode Island and more than 316,000 women nationally will be diagnosed by the end of this year with breast cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. That diagnosis will present what will seem for many insurmountable physical and emotional challenges. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and we caught up […]
Posted inColumns, Environment & Health
Helen Hames: Access to quality care, a shared responsibility
Today, more than 24,00 Rhode Islanders over the age of 65 are living with some form of dementia. That’s one in eight older adults. The BOLD Act, signed into law in 2018, positioned Alzheimer’s disease and dementia as a public health issue, not just a private family struggle. It provided states like Rhode Island with […]
Posted inColumns
Dr. Michael Fine: What’s crazy about public health and gun violence
Crazy might not be the right word. Heartbreaking or heartrending would be better. But even heartrending isn’t strong enough. In these United States, our rate of gun death is 4.42 deaths per 100,000 population, the sixth highest in the world – but many times the rate in other developed nations. Of developed nations, only Greece, Austria, […]