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Monthly News & Updates | April 2026 | | |
Across Rhode Island, the Community First Responder Program (CFRP) at the University of Rhode Island College of Pharmacy strengthens overdose prevention by providing free training and expanding access to naloxone. By partnering with community organizations, municipalities, and healthcare providers, the program ensures life-saving resources reach people where they live and work, helping more Rhode Islanders respond quickly and effectively to overdose emergencies.
Read the full article to learn more about how the program is expanding access to life-saving resources across Rhode Island.
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📢 Call for Abstracts: CTC-RI 2026 Annual Conference | | |
CTC-RI is now accepting abstracts for its 2026 Annual Conference, Advanced Primary Care: Envisioning What’s Possible, taking place on November 19 in Warwick.
Primary care teams, community organizations, and healthcare partners are invited to share innovative work and connect with colleagues from across the state.
Submissions are due May 22, 2026, with a $500 stipend available per selected presentation.
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🗓️ Upcoming CTC-RI Meetings & Learning Opportunities
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CTC-RI Clinical Strategy Committee: AI & Digital Health in Primary Care
🗓️ Friday, May 15, 7:30-9:00 AM - Zoom
Join the CTC-RI Clinical Strategy Committee on May 15 for a virtual Speaker Series session featuring Atin Jindal of Brown University Health. This discussion will explore AI strategy, implementation, governance, and ethics, and what it means for the future of primary care across Rhode Island. CME/CEUs will be available.
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Access Starts with Coverage: Keeping Patients Insured
📅 Friday, April 21, 7:30–9:00 AM - Zoom
The next Best Practices in Team-Based Care session will focus on helping patients maintain health coverage.
Moderated by Larry Warner, DrPH, MPH, this panel brings together key partners from across Rhode Island, featuring panelists from the Rhode Island Health Center Association, Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island, Rhode Island Parent Information Network, and the Executive Office of Health and Human Services, to help primary care teams identify patients at risk of losing coverage, how to navigate coverage risks, connect patients to support, and apply the right referral pathways.
Participants will gain practical strategies to prevent coverage gaps and respond effectively when barriers arise.
Sign up to receive calendar invites and updates →
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RI MomsPRN ECHO® Learning Series: Advancing Maternal Behavioral Health
Join the MomsPRN ECHO® Learning Series, a free virtual community focused on strengthening maternal behavioral health care. Through interactive sessions that combine expert insights with real-world case discussions, participants will build practical skills, expand access to screening tools, and advance culturally responsive care.
Join the full series or drop in for individual sessions to connect with peers and improve support for mothers and families across Rhode Island.
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Call for Applications: Optimizing ADHD Care in Pediatrics
A funded training opportunity supported by UnitedHealthcare is available to strengthen pediatric assessment and management of ADHD and complex comorbidities.
Practices can choose between two ECHO® tracks with stipends up to $7,500, combining education, case-based learning, and quality improvement support.
Applications are due May 1, 2026.
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Stay Connected: Best Practices in Team-Based Care
Help CTC-RI keep you in the loop! We’re refreshing our contact list for the Best Practices in Team-Based Care Learning Series. Confirm your information through the quick sign-up form to continue receiving session announcements, materials, and calendar invitations. Those who don’t update their details may stop receiving future communications. Thank you for staying engaged in this learning community.
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CTC-RI's Meeting Idea Submission Form makes it easy to suggest speakers, panels, and topics for our committees and Annual Conference.
We welcome your ideas! The short form takes just a few minutes and asks for your name, email, topic title, focus area, and a brief description.
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📢 Updates, Successes, & Developments
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Enhancing Care for LGBTQ+ Youth Across Rhode Island
CTC-RI launched a 12-month learning collaborative to strengthen care for LGBTQ+ youth, bringing together pediatric practices across Rhode Island. Through expert-led sessions on topics ranging from gender-affirming care to behavioral health, cultural competency, and legal considerations, clinicians built knowledge, confidence, and practical skills.
Participants reported measurable improvements in familiarity with core concepts, comfort in patient conversations, and ability to create more inclusive clinical environments. Practices also implemented tangible changes, from updating intake forms to enhancing clinic spaces, to help foster more affirming, high-quality care for youth and families.
Read more and explore the session evaluation results →
| | | New Report: Strengthening Asthma Care Through Community Health Workers | | |
CTC-RI released a new report highlighting progress in expanding asthma education and support through community health worker training across Rhode Island. In partnership with the Rhode Island Department of Health, the initiative trained 30+ CHWs and improved knowledge, skills, and community-based asthma care capacity. Findings show strong participant outcomes and identify key opportunities to strengthen access, engagement, and equity moving forward.
Read the full report to learn more. →
| | | Rhode Island Faces Ongoing Gaps in Primary Care Access and Investment | | | | |
While Rhode Island ranks #4 nationally in the latest 2026 Primary Care Scorecard, the data underscore persistent challenges that require urgent attention.
Where challenges persist:
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Gaps in coordinated care: More than half of children lack a consistent medical home
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Rising access issues: 12.5% of Rhode Islanders lack a usual source of care, an increase from 2024
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Underinvestment in primary care: Spending for seniors continues to lag behind the national average
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Workforce shortages: Nearly a quarter of residents live in primary care shortage areas
Addressing these gaps will require sustained investment, workforce development, and coordinated system-wide strategies to ensure all Rhode Islanders can access high-quality primary care.
| | 📰 Partners' News & Resources | | |
$156M Federal Investment to Transform Rural Health Care
Governor Dan McKee submitted a budget amendment to implement Rhode Island’s $156 million federal award from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to strengthen care in rural communities. The funding will support value-based care, workforce development, behavioral health expansion, and health IT modernization across the state.
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Tai Ji Quan Instructor Training Opportunity
The Rhode Island Department of Health is recruiting new instructors to support the expansion of Tai Ji Quan: Moving for Better Balance programs in senior centers across the state.
This evidence-based training helps reduce fall risk among older adults through gentle, structured movement practice. The virtual instructor training will take place June 10–11, with applications open for interested participants.
To participate in the training, fill out the following form: https://forms.office.com/g/3gRVWFVTgH →
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Interpersonal Violence & Pregnancy: Training for Providers
Through a partnership with the Rhode Island Department of Health, Sojourner House is offering free trainings for providers focused on identifying and responding to interpersonal violence (IPV) in clinical settings.
With 50 years of experience supporting survivors, Sojourner House equips professionals with trauma-informed tools to improve screening, safety planning, and referral practices. Sessions also explore the impact of IPV on pregnancy and strategies to support safer, healthier outcomes for patients.
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Be Ready for Measles: Recognize Symptoms and Act Quickly
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention encourages clinicians to assess recent travel, exposure history, and immunization status when patients present with compatible symptoms, including fever, rash, and respiratory symptoms. Learn more →
| | 💻 Missed It? Recent CTC-RI Learnings! | | |
Your hub for recent CTC-RI programs, learning sessions, and highlights!
Find recaps and links to presentations, resources, and recordings from our most recent work.
Click here to catch up on missed content or revisit a session.
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