City & Government

PROVIDENCE, RI – Governor Dan McKee on Friday hosted a two-hour Facebook Live event in observance of Rhode Island’s second annual ‘Mental Health Action Day.’ The event featured state, federal and community leaders taking action to end the stigma surrounding mental health and substance use disorders. During the event, Governor McKee signed a proclamation declaring May 20 ‘Mental Health Action Day’ in Rhode Island.
As the global conversation around mental health continues – including the White House’s new unity agenda strategy to address mental health in the United States – finding effective resources and knowing how to get help remains a challenge. Rhode Island’s Mental Health Action Day encourages people to take their first steps towards mental health action – whether for themselves, for their loved ones or to advocate for systemic changes through a wide range of tools.
“The last two years have exacerbated mental health challenges, especially for young people, but also have encouraged us to talk about them more openly,” said Governor McKee. “At this time, it is important that we come together as Rhode Islanders with the common goal of changing the narrative surrounding mental health. It’s our goal to enhance the community of supports and services – and show people that help is available.”
Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse, Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline, Lt. Governor Sabina Matos, Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea, and General Treasurer Seth Magaziner joined Governor McKee to launch the inaugural event.
Executive Office of Health and Human Services Acting Secretary Ana Novais; Rhode Island Department of Education Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green; Department of Behavioral Health, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals Director Richard Charest; Office of Veterans Services Director Kasim Yarn; and Adjutant General and Commanding General of the Rhode Island National Guard Christopher Callahan, as well as community partners, joined Governor McKee at the event calling attention to mental health and wellness, and ensuring all Rhode Islanders have access to essential resources.
“In the wake of the pandemic, our ability to prioritize mental health and substance use disorders is more important than ever,” said EOHHS Acting Secretary Novais. “Normalizing action, not just awareness, is critical to restoring our collective well-being and ushering in a new era of mental health equity. The Governor’s Overdose Prevention and Intervention Task Force is dedicated to our mission of saving lives. We also are continuing our collective efforts to deliver supports and services that meet the specific needs of Rhode Islanders and allow them to be healthy, safe and independent.”
The first panel during the Facebook Live event featured Commissioner Infante-Green and Rosemary Reilly-Chammat, School Health Policy and Program Specialist, speaking about mental health and wellness for school age children. Kids’ Link RI is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to help children and youth in need of mental health services and refer them to treatment providers. Contact Kids’ Link RI at 855-543-5465.
The Vet Center gave a presentation on programs and resources available, including confidential help for Veterans, service members, and their families. Services include counseling for needs such as depression, post traumatic stress disorder, and the psychological effects of military sexual trauma. The Providence Vet Center can be reached at 401-739-0167.
Care New England and the Executive Office of Health and Human Services presented on preventing bias in our community and our daily lives. Depression, anxiety and suicide are common mental health conditions associated with lacking a sense of belonging. These conditions can lead to social behaviors that interfere with a person’s ability to connect to others, creating a cycle of events that further weakens a sense of belonging.
Director Yarn, Major General Callahan, and Captain James McIver, Naval Station Newport discussed reducing military mental health stigma, improving treatment engagement, and resources available to Rhode Island’s active duty and Veteran populations. To connect with these resources, go to www.vets.ri.gov or call 401-921-2119.
EOHHS Acting Secretary Novais and BHDDH Director Charest presented the work of the Governor’s Overdose Prevention and Intervention Task Force. BH Link, Rhode Island’s one-stop, state-wide 24/7 call-in center that connects people to appropriate care and resources, when they or someone they care about is experiencing a behavioral healthcare crisis. It is also a 24/7 community-based walk-in and drop-off facility where clinicians can connect people to immediate, stabilizing emergency behavioral health services, and long-term care and recovery supports. Connect to BH Link at bhlink.org or by calling 401-414-LINK (5465).
Though more people than ever are comfortable discussing mental health, some people struggle finding resources and knowing how to get help can be a challenge. Rhode Island’s Mental Health Action Day is driving culture from mental health awareness to mental health action. The panelists offered tangible tools for Rhode Islanders to take action for themselves, for their loved ones, and for our community.
In closing the event, Director Yarn remarked: “If you have concerns about your own, or a loved one’s mental health, don’t remain silent; please take action, that’s what today is all about. The bottom line is that you are not alone.”
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CRANSTON, R.I. – The Rhode Island Board of Elections applauds the General Assembly for passage of the “Let RI Vote Act” (H-7100, S-2007), which codifies a number of practices successfully implemented during the 2020 general election to give qualified voters more convenient options to cast a ballot amidst a pandemic.
“Facing a global pandemic, the 2020 election was the most challenging the Board of Elections had ever faced” said Diane Mederos, Chair of the Rhode Island Board of Elections. “We were pleased to see that many of the emergency measures implemented to ensure voters had multiple convenient and secure options to cast their ballots by mail, early in-person, or in-person at the polls on Election Day worked well and proved so popular. Indeed, 62% of voters chose to cast their ballot either via mail ballot or early in-person. The Board of Elections strongly believes that Rhode Island voters deserve secure and convenient access to the ballot, and that is why we have worked closely with the General Assembly to codify in statute the voting innovations successfully implemented during the 2020 election. I want to thank Representative Katherine Kazarian and Senator Dawn Euer for sponsoring the Let RI Vote Act, and for shepherding this important legislation to final passage by the General Assembly.”
“Voting by mail ballot, the use of secure drop boxes, and early in-person voting proved popular and convenient options during the pandemic impacted 2020 election, and the Let RI Vote Act codifies these innovations for future Rhode Island elections,” said Robert Rapoza, Executive Director of the Rhode Island Board of Elections. “Our staff and Board of Canvassers partners are dedicated to ensuring that these measures are implemented in an open and transparent fashion that increases access to voting, while maintaining the security and integrity of our election system, the bedrock of our democracy. I thank the General Assembly for working closely with our staff to develop the Let RI Vote Act, and for passing this important election modernization legislation.”
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Latest NEA funds to assist the vital arts economy and post-pandemic revitalization
Providence RI —The RI State Council on the Arts (RISCA) announced today the State’s arts agency and five arts organizations will receive $988,200 in recommended grants from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). The awards will be given to the Newport Music Festival, $15,000; AS220, $15,000; Brown University, $20,000; Community MusicWorks, $60,000; FirstWorks, $20,000; and RISCA, $858,200.
The grants are from three NEA funding categories, Grants for Arts Projects, Our Town, and State and Regional Partnerships. In total, this round of NEA’s distribution was more than $91 million in recommended grants to organizations in all 50 states and U.S. jurisdictions.
“As a key economic driver, our arts sector is an important part of Rhode Island’s recovery,” Governor Dan McKee said. “On behalf of our state, I thank the National Endowment for the Arts for their support. These investments are critical in helping to rebuild a sector that plays an important role in our cities and towns.”
“These non-profits enrich our communities through the arts and help diversify our economy. I’m pleased to support federal funding for these artistic, cultural and educational programs,” said U.S. Senator Jack Reed.
“The NEA is one of the biggest supports for the arts and cultural organizations that help make Rhode Island a great place to live and work,” said U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse. “Federal investments have a significant role to play as the arts community continues to recover from the pandemic.”
“I am thrilled that the NEA has decided to fund these local organizations that play such a vital role in Rhode Island’s vibrant arts scene,” said Rep. Jim Langevin. “As we continue to recover from the pandemic, our arts economy is getting Rhode Islanders back out into their communities. This funding will help drive jobs and meaningful community events and programs.”
Rep. David Cicilline said: “These federal investments will help grow Rhode Island’s vibrant arts community and creative economy. These grants are essential in helping the arts community recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, and I will continue to work to make sure that Rhode Island artists and arts organizations receive the resources they need to continue their invaluable contributions to our communities.”
“Through our work with state and regional partners, the National Endowment for the Arts can extend its impact, reaching even more communities throughout the nation, providing opportunities for all of us to live artful lives,” said NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD. “The arts contribute to our individual well-being, the well-being of our communities, and to our local economies. The arts are also crucial to helping us make sense of our circumstances from different perspectives as we emerge from the pandemic and plan for a shared new normal informed by our examined experience.”
Faye Zuckerman, director of communication for RISCA, expressed gratitude for the federal support Rhode Island’s arts organizations receive from the NEA. She said, “The federal funding will provide greater access to the arts, arts educators and organizations, among others. We thank our Congressional delegation and the NEA for once again noting the importance of the arts in our state and investing in our arts and culture economy.”

PROVIDENCE – With the warmer weather arriving, state public health and environmental officials are urging residents to safely enjoy the outdoors. With a very mild winter in which more ticks than usual have likely survived until spring and with warmer weather and longer days giving people more reasons to engage in outside activities, the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) and the Department of Environmental Management (DEM) are concerned that 2022 may be a bad year for tick bites and the transmission of Lyme disease and other diseases.
For Rhode Islanders to enjoy the outdoors safely, it is important they be aware of ticks and the diseases these arachnids carry. Rhode Island continues to be a high-incidence state for Lyme disease. According to RIDOH disease data, Rhode Island had 839 cases of Lyme disease in 2020, with an incidence rate of 77 cases per 100,000.
“While Rhode Islanders are enjoying the great outdoors, we need to make sure we’re all taking these three key steps to preventing Lyme and other tick-borne diseases: Repel, Check, Remove,” said Interim Director of Health James McDonald, MD, MPH. “Repel and reduce your exposure to ticks, check your body for ticks in the spots that they like to crawl and hide, and be sure to promptly and properly remove ticks if you find one on yourself, your family members, or your pets. Ticks are tiny and you may not be able to feel them or spot them right away. The sooner you find and remove them, the better your chances are at preventing the potential for very serious health issues caused by Lyme and other diseases ticks carry.”
Increasing numbers of ticks could be attributed to a variety of environmental factors that are symptomatic of climate change such as more moderate winters (allowing ticks that are alive in autumn to survive over the winter), hotter temperatures in the summer, and more rainfall. Rhode Island’s Lyme disease prevention work is part of larger efforts toward building greater community resilience, which will help communities prepare for, respond to, and recover from the adverse health effects of climate change.
“As the weather warms and Rhode Islanders begin returning to state parks, campgrounds, and management areas, so do ticks,” said DEM Acting Director Terry Gray. “DEM and the Rhode Island Department of Health cooperate on a wide array of programs and initiatives to protect public health. Public education is critical. Again this year, DEM welcomes the chance to make RIDOH’s informative tick bite-prevention materials available for our park and campground visitors.”
RIDOH’s ongoing Tick Free Rhode Island campaign highlights the three keys to tick safety: repel, check, and remove.
Repel
Keep ticks off you, your children, and pets by:
o Avoiding wooded and brushy areas with high grass and leaves. If you are going to be in a wooded area, walk in the center of the trail to avoid contact with overgrown grass, brush, and leaves at the edges of the trail. You can also spray your clothes with permethrin to keep ticks away. Make sure to not spray this on your skin.
o Wearing long pants and long-sleeve shirts when outside.
o Tucking your pants into your socks so ticks do not crawl under your clothes.
o Wearing light-colored clothing so you can see ticks more easily.
Check
Check yourself, your children, and pets, for ticks by:
o Taking a shower as soon as you come inside if you have been in grassy or wooded areas.
o Doing a full-body tick check using a mirror; parents should check their kids for ticks and pay special attention to the area in and around the ears, in the belly button, behind the knees, between the legs, around the waist, and in their hair.
o Checking your pets for ticks as well because they can bring ticks into the home.
Remove
Remove ticks from your body, as well as from children and pets, if you find them.
o Use a set of tweezers to remove the tick. Grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible and pull straight up.
o If you don’t have tweezers, use your fingers with a tissue or rubber gloves.
Most people who get Lyme disease get a rash anywhere on their body, though it may not appear until long after the tick bite (70-80% of people with Lyme disease will develop a rash, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). At first, the rash looks like a red circle, but as the circle gets bigger, the middle changes color and seems to clear, so the rash looks like a target bull’s-eye.
Some people don’t get a rash but feel sick, with headaches, fever, body aches, and fatigue. Over time, they could have swelling and pain in their joints and a stiff, sore neck; or they could develop shooting pains, numbness, or tingling in the hands or feet, or facial drooping from nerve palsy. A few people may even experience heart problems. Lyme disease can be treated with antibiotics.
Rhode Island’s Lyme disease prevention work is part of larger efforts toward building greater community resilience, which will help communities prepare for, respond to, and recover from the adverse health effects of climate change.
The Tick Free Rhode Island campaign features three animated Tick Free Rhode Island videos. The videos show how to repel both ticks and mosquitoes, how to check for ticks, and how to properly remove a tick from the skin. RIDOH’s Rhode Island Tick Detective Workbook for Kids is also available online. To view the videos and get more information on Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases, visit health.ri.gov/ticks.

PROVIDENCE – The Department of Environmental Management (DEM) is reminding Rhode Islanders to remove potential food sources from their properties as black bears emerge with warmer weather. Bird feeders, unsecured trash cans, livestock feed, and other easily available household and backyard food sources attract bears primarily in early spring, during droughts, or in the fall when they are trying to put on weight for hibernation. Thus far in 2022, eight confirmed black bear sightings have been reported to DEM. These include one sighting each in Exeter, North Smithfield, and Richmond, two in West Warwick, and three in South Kingstown from Jan. 11 to May 1.
Black bears are generally shy and unaggressive and will avoid interactions with humans. Until their natural food sources become more available in the spring, however, black bears may be destructive when scavenging from trash cans and visiting bird feeders, beehives, chicken coops, rabbit hutches, and compost piles in search of food. Bears can easily become dependent on readily available backyard food sources and quickly become a nuisance. Black bears have an excellent sense of smell, will investigate odors they identify as an easy meal, and will regularly frequent a site once a food source is identified.
“A bear can’t be blamed for riffling through a trash can, but we can certainly change our own behaviors for the safety of both the community and wildlife,” said DEM Chief Public Information Officer Michael Healey. “By teaching bears that backyards are not their personal grocery stores and humans are not vending machines, handing out snacks, we can keep wildlife wild and our communities safe. Remember, bears are usually only following their noses to what they perceive as a food source, with no intention of interacting with people.”
DEM reminds the public to become “bear aware” by:
o Removing bird feeders by early April and waiting until early November to put them back up.
o Refraining from feeding pets outside, or if you do, taking pet food dishes inside at night.
o Storing birdseed, livestock feed, and garbage in buildings.
o Taking garbage out for pickup on the morning of collection – not the night before.
o Keeping barbecue grills clean of grease. Do not put meat or sweet food scraps in your compost pile.
o Using electric fencing around chicken coops, beehives, rabbit hutches, and livestock pens.
o Moving livestock into barns at night.
o Above all, DO NOT FEED BEARS. These are wild animals. An adult male typically weighs between 150 and 450 pounds, while females generally weigh between 100 and 250 pounds.
If a black bear is spotted on private property, people are advised to:
o Report the sighting to DEM’s Division of Law Enforcement at 222-3070. DEM is working closely with local police to track bear sightings and complaints and educate people on how to safely coexist with bears.
o Do not panic. Bears are rarely aggressive toward people and will often leave on their own. After the bear leaves the area, food sources or any other item of attraction should be removed from the yard.
o Do not run away if you surprise a bear. Walk away slowly while facing the bear. Make noise and let it know you are there by shouting something at it. In Rhode Island, black bears are protected animals. Intentionally feeding or shooting a bear is illegal.
The following steps will minimize the potential for bears to attack livestock or apiaries:
o Use electric fencing around pens or paddocks to protect sheep and goats and other small livestock.
o Move small livestock into barns at night.
o Secure grains and sweet feeds in buildings.
o Use electric fencing to protect apiaries and chicken coops.
For more information on DEM programs and services, visit www.dem.ri.gov. Follow DEM on Facebook, Twitter (@RhodeIslandDEM), or Instagram (@RhodeIsland.DEM).