Latest news with #RIDOH
Boston Globe
06-05-2025
- Boston Globe
R.I. therapist surrenders license over ‘non-professional relationship' with underage client
The client was a 'student under the age of 18' who resided at the career training and education facility, the order states. Advertisement R.I. Department of Health and the state Board of Mental Health Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists received complaints alleging Vescera was involved in the relationship with the student, according to the order. Get Rhode Island News Alerts Sign up to get breaking news and interesting stories from Rhode Island in your inbox each weekday. Enter Email Sign Up 'In the course of RIDOH's investigation into the allegations, [Vescera] submitted false and misleading statements to RIDOH in an effort to conceal her non-professional relationship … and to thwart RIDOH's investigation,' the document states. In August 2023, RIDOH found the allegations against Vescera were 'reliable' and The department notified Vescera in March that a hearing would be held to determine whether her license 'should be revoked or otherwise disciplined,' as she was charged with unprofessional conduct as a licensed mental health counselor 'based on violations' of state law and the National Board of Certified Counselors 'Code of Ethics,' the order states. Advertisement Under the terms of the order, Vescera agreed to voluntarily and permanently surrender her license and to fulfill 'any continuing obligations she may have with respect to the handling of client records and the appropriate transfer of client records.' Vescera could not be reached for comment on Tuesday. According to court records, Vescera does not face any criminal charges. Christopher Gavin can be reached at
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Sexually transmitted infections returning to pre-pandemic levels in Rhode Island
A colorized electron micrograph shows Treponema pallidum, the bacteria that cause syphilis. The inset shows a closeup of a single strand. (Image by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) appear to be a slowly rising tide in the Ocean State, according to the most recent data from the state health department. STI surveillance data is reported on a lag, so the March report issued by the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) contains long- and short-term data ending in 2023, plus some tentative findings for 2024. But recent increases in infections could also be trends returning to their baseline prior to the pandemic. 'If you look at the data starting in 2020 we did see some significant declines starting with the pandemic, and that is because we were seeing less testing, less healthcare visits,' said Dr. Philip Chan, a primary care physician with Brown University Health and a medical consultant on the RIDOH report. But people's behavior also changed during that time, Chan added. 'People were more likely to stay at home, more likely to isolate. What we were seeing on the ground was that a lot of people had a lot less sex partners, so there was just a lot less sex going on.' The good news is that the state usually succeeds in treating HIV, with outcomes more positive than national averages and patients' illness often stops before the virus progresses into AIDS. Less ideal are higher rates for other STIs like syphilis and gonorrhea, which climbed past pre-pandemic levels in 2023. 'From year to year, it's tough to tell exactly what's happening,' Chan said. 'But I think that the trends the last couple years are clear that things are going up.' Data for the more ubiquitous infections includes: Syphilis has increased 58% from 2014 to 2023. There were 328 cases recorded in 2021, the highest number in decades. That fell to 240 cases in 2022, and 190 in 2023 — about the same as pre-pandemic levels, which had already risen since 2014. Preliminary data for 2024 shows similar trends. From 2020 to 2023, there were also about 10 cases of congenital syphilis — the state's first instances in about a decade, and one example of testing's importance in early detection, Chan said. Gonorrhea cases rose 183.4% over the last 10 years. There were 590 cases in 2014, compared to 1,672 cases in 2023. There has not been a year with fewer than 1,000 cases since 2016. Men account for about twice as many cases as women. Chlamydia cases have remained more consistent since 2014, and rose 21% over the decade, from 4,349 cases in 2014 to 5,269 cases in 2023. Women ages 20-24 exhibited the highest increase over that same period, but the report notes that women access routine screenings more than men, who are often asymptomatic when infected. 'A key theme for all these STIs is that most people may not have symptoms,' Chan said. 'And so the only way that you know that you may have it is to get tested, and that's why testing is so so important.' Chan pointed to primary care doctors and sex education as two ways people can become educated about the necessity of screening. Only 52% of adults ages 18 to 64 who had multiple sex partners received an STI test in the past year, according to 2022 data. Only 60% had ever received an HIV test. What we were seeing on the ground was that a lot of people had a lot less sex partners, so there was just a lot less sex going on. – Dr. Philip Chan, primary care physician and medical consultant for RIDOH STI surveillance report Demographic and geographic factors also shaped the data. Racial disparities exist: In 2023, HIV rates were four times higher among Black residents and nearly sevenfold higher among Rhode Island's Latino population, compared to caucasian residents. New HIV cases among Latinos have risen 132% since 2019, while dropping 63% among Black Rhode Islanders. Of newly diagnosed HIV cases in 2023, 31% were diagnosed in people born outside the United States, most frequently in the Caribbean and Central and South America. Younger people ages 15-24 account for most new STI diagnoses, about half. The state's urban core of Providence, East Providence, North Providence, Pawtucket, Woonsocket, Central Falls, and Cranston consistently reports the highest STI rates, with cases numbering in the dozens to hundreds, compared to fewer than five reported cases in many smaller towns. 'A lot of these STIs do disproportionately affect communities of color and other sorts of underserved populations,' Chan said. 'It's important, from a public health perspective, to think about how to continue and promote and increase access to care for those groups in order to address disparities like we see in STIs and frankly, many other things.' While an assortment of drugs can stop bacterial infections, there's no cure for HIV. But HIV-positive people are living longer than ever due to modern antiretroviral drugs that suppress the virus and prevent it from progressing to a more serious diagnosis of AIDS. An adequately suppressed viral load can also make the disease intransmissible, and greatly improves quality of life by halting the virus from replicating. Advances in HIV drug therapy largely account for the deep reduction in the rate of HIV-related deaths, which nationally fell by almost half from from 2010 to 2017. In Rhode Island in 2022, 93.2% of people living with HIV knew their status, 76% were receiving treatment and 71% had achieved viral suppression. And 93% of people who received their medical care within Rhode Island achieved viral suppression. Still, there was an above average number of HIV diagnoses, the preliminary 2024 data showed. From 2019-2023, RIDOH also observed that about 20% of people newly diagnosed with HIV had progressed to stage 3, or AIDS. On average, it takes eight years for HIV to develop into AIDS. Rhode Island has tried to prevent those outcomes by early diagnosis, and by fortifying its residents against HIV through preventative measures — namely, PrEP, or pre-exposure prophylaxis. Patients who adhere to the schedule for taking this group of antiretroviral drugs can have up to a 99% lower chance of contracting HIV from unprotected sex. PrEP provides an approximate 74% reduction in the likelihood of contracting HIV via injectable drug use. Successful state laws from 2023 and 2024 made PrEP as widely available as possible by slashing away potential restrictions from insurers and eliminating out-of-pocket costs. Chan, only had 'good things to say' about those laws — including the resulting interactions with insurers, who have largely been quick to correct mistakes in patient billing. The main challenge now, Chan said, is when interruptions occur, and a person loses their job, insurance, and access to PrEP. Several sexual health clinics and community health centers in Rhode Island offer low or no cost services and assist in minimizing any out-of-pocket costs associated with PrEP prescriptions and testing. For a list go to Rhode Island's PrEP Champions Network. 'I actually had a patient of mine for several years who had insurance and was on PrEP,' Chan said. 'They lost their insurance for a couple months and had to go off PrEP, and they actually, unfortunately, acquired HIV during that time. This was just a month ago.' RIDOH continues to promote the Rhode Island PrEP Champions Network, which has participating clinics across the state that expedite access to PrEP as well as its sibling PEP, or post-exposure prophylaxis, which is taken for about a month, starting within 72 hours of possible HIV exposure. Properly taken, the drug prevents HIV infection. The comparable treatment for preventing bacterial STIs is DoxyPEP, which usually consists of a single, two-pill, dose of doxycycline taken after sex. Doxycycline is an old drug, and thus an inexpensive means of lowering contraction rates, Chan suggested. 'DoxyPEP is the newest kid on the block,' he said, noting that the nationwide rollout is still in its early stages. But so far the data looks good, with evidence from places like San Francisco suggesting it can make a difference. 'We're very optimistic about it, and I think the coming years will be able to tell whether or not it's making a significant impact on overall population trends,' Chan said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
RI Health Dept. applauds kids meal bill, but can't enforce it
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — In an effort to address childhood obesity, some Rhode Island lawmakers have introduced a bill that would require restaurants offering children's meals to have at least two that meet certain nutritional standards. Rhode Island is the worst state in New England and the 39th worst state in the country when it comes to the rates of overweight and obesity among children between the ages of 10 and 17, according to Rhode Island Kids Count. ALSO READ: RI's Pre-K lottery open for 2025-26 school year The required meals would have to include at least two of the five main food groups, and they must not exceed 550 calories, 700 milligrams of sodium and 15 grams of added sugar. Dr. Amy Nunn, the CEO of the Rhode Island Public Health Institute, testified in favor of the bill at the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services last Thursday. 'The idea is to avoid pizza and chicken nuggets and all of the things that are calorie-rich and may be actually nutrient poor,' she told 12 News on Tuesday. 'And to promote more fruits and vegetables, more whole grains, less sugars, and lower-sodium options.' The bill stipulates that the Rhode Island Department of Health would be required to 'implement, administer and enforce' the proposed mandates. There are approximately 7,000 restaurants in Rhode Island, according to the Health Department. In a letter to committee chair Melissa Murray, health officials applauded the efforts to address childhood obesity, but noted that the department would not be able to implement the bill's provisions as it is currently drafted. 'RIDOH would need additional staffing capacity to develop and disseminate the required informational materials and respond to complaints received against restaurants that do not comply with the statutory requirements as outlined in the bill,' Health Director Jerome Larkin wrote in the letter. According to the Health Department, the requirements are pricey and the costs would only continue to increase. 'Specifically, RIDOH would need an FTE nutritionist (Grade 27) at an annual cost of $116,544,' Larkin explained. 'This amount is anticipated to increase in future years due to increases in salaryand benefits.' If the bill were to become law, it would take effect on Jan. 1, 2026. You can read the proposed legislation here. Download the and apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch or with the new . Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
'Not just about appearance': Why new guidance for 'medical spas' has riled RI's beauty industry
PROVIDENCE – Can you guess which piece of legislation drew the most people to the State House earlier this week to make impassioned pleas for legislative help preserving their livelihoods – and their wrinkle-free foreheads? If you guessed a bill to remove a wrinkle-causing worry from the brows of the estheticians who inject soft tissue fillers and Botox into the faces of clients at the growing number of "medical spas" across the state, you would have been right. As the "medical spa" industry grows, the concerns raised by some full-fledged dermatologists led the Rhode Island Department of Health to issue guidelines last summer on "who can inject what" into customers in the state. That, in turn, led Rep. Jacquelyn Baginski, D-Cranston, to introduce a bill to make sure the practitioners in this arm of the beauty industry – many of them nurses – can continue what they have been doing uninterrupted. She was responding to the concerns of medical spa operators and their clients, including Alexandra McSparren, who sent the House Committee on Health & Human Services a letter that said: "The [Rhode Island Department of Health] is limiting access to the services I have been receiving from my current aesthetic practitioner. I have been told I will no longer be able to receive Botox, PRF and micro needling from my nurse practitioner and aesthetician." "I do not want to lose my right to choose my provider," she wrote, And "I do not want to be forced to drive to neighboring states to seek these services." "Aesthetic medicine is not just about appearance,'' added George Hatfield of Westerly, in his own letter. "It boosts confidence, supports mental well-being, and allows individuals to feel their best." At minimum, the new RIDOH guidance requires that any patient "receiving any service or procedure in a medical spa or IV therapy business ... [must] first be assessed by a Rhode Island licensed practitioner," which in this context means: "a physician, physician assistant and/or certified nurse practitioner." What led to the change? Department of Health spokesman Joseph Wendelken told The Journal that there's been a "proliferation" of two new health care businesses: medical spas and intravenous (IV) therapy businesses. Services at these businesses, Wendelken said, are advertised as "minimal risk" and are seen more as spa treatments than medical procedures. But a RIDOH review determined that many of these businesses were operating without proper health care facility licensure and, in some cases, allowing people to perform procedures "that were not within their scope of practice" – putting clients, they said, at a "higher risk" of complications. What kind of complications? In his own letter to the legislative committee, state Health Director Jerome Larkin cited the risks of getting "cosmetic injections" of soft tissue fillers and neurotoxins, such as Botox, in the face, "where blood vessels and nerves are much more superficial than in the deltoid and gluteal regions where nurses and other healthcare professionals are trained to inject vaccines and medications intramuscularly." He said studies demonstrate that complication rates for filler and Botox injections are "higher when performed by non-physicians versus physicians." They include: "Skin necrosis, scarring, disfigurement, nerve damage, muscle paralysis, blindness, and even stroke." Even more basically, Larkin said: "Allowing unlicensed people with only 20 hours of training (versus three to six years of training for dermatologists and plastic surgeons) to perform these procedures is unsafe." During its review of what is happening in Rhode Island, the Health Department found that, in some instances, a dermatologist or plastic surgeon is the owner of one of these spas. In others, it is an esthetician, while others are owned by unlicensed investors. "Some medical spas may try to circumvent the necessity of a physical assessment through the use of standing orders" on how to diagnose and assess patients, but this "is considered unprofessional conduct and can result in disciplinary action on one's license," RIDOH said. RIDOH's 12-page "Guidance Document Regarding the Operation of Medical Spas and Intravenous (IV) Therapy Businesses" sent shudders through the Rhode Island beauty industry. The Baginski bill, co-sponsored by Reps. David Bennett of Warwick, a nurse, and Stephen Casey of Woonsocket, an EMT, says, in part, that nothing in the law shall be construed to prohibit: "A registered nurse from ... providing cosmetic injections such as soft tissue fillers and neurotoxins, intravenous fluids, vitamin injections, laser hair removal, intense pulsed light, laser skin resurfacing, microneedling, laser vein removal, scelerotherapy, and radiofrequency," as long as they are under the "supervision" of a physician, nurse practitioner or an "advanced practice registered nurse" who does not necessarily have to be on site. Supervision is not required for "a licensed esthetician to practice esthetics," a licensed electrologist to engage in laser hair removal, or a licensed tattoo artist from engaging in "the practice of tattoo artistry, including inkless stretch mark revision, permanent makeup artistry, microblading, and saline tattoo removal." Close to 40 people signed up to speak and dozens more sent letters to the Health and Human Services Committee. With few exceptions, they pleaded for relief from what the health department liaison Neil Hytinen described as a codification – not a change – in existing law. In their letters, many of the clients, both men and women, insisted the treatments are necessary for their "confidence and self-esteem," and letting the spas do their thing, unimpeded, keeps the services affordable. As Hatfield of Westerly wrote: "The RIDOH is limiting access to the services I have been receiving from my current aesthetic practitioner. I have been told I will no longer be able to receive Botox, dermal filler, laser hair removal, microneedling, and platelet-rich plasma." "As someone who has personally benefited from aesthetic treatments performed by highly skilled NPs and RNs, I can attest to the exceptional level of care, expertise, and safety they provide," Hatfield continued. "Restrictive regulations that prevent qualified NPs and RNs from practicing in this field [will] only limit access to safe, affordable, and effective treatments." From outside Rhode Island came the voice of Ben Conn, the director of product for the Columbus, Ohio-based Monarch Aesthetic Services. "Are doctors going to start operating lasers instead of training skilled nurses on their use? Are doctors going to stay in office and perform these tasks instead of going away on vacations? The answer is always no," he wrote. By contrast, "a professional, licensed nurse or esthetician gets into the field to provide quality of care, education and to help patients age more gracefully and happily," Conn said. "It would be a shame if a few who are jealous attempted to take that away from those that earned their right to practice." This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: RI's medical spa industry riled by new guidance on who can give Botox
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Wondering about bird flu in RI? We're answering important reader questions
PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island hasn't had any human cases of bird flu, and the H5N1 avian influenza hasn't been detected in any commercial bird flocks here. However, the highly pathogenic virus has been found twice among noncommercial backyard bird flocks in Rhode Island. It happened first in October 2022 in Newport County and again last month in southern Washington County. In both cases, the entire flocks, a total of about 105 birds, were euthanized to minimize their suffering and prevent the illness from spreading. The DEM considers backyard flocks to be "a smaller group of birds kept by individuals for personal use, and not a commercial poultry producer for market sale." In the wake of these developments, here are some questions on bird flu and backyard flocks The Journal posed to the state Department of Environmental Management and the state Department of Health: DEM: As with all U.S. states, Rhode Island regulates the importation of poultry to mitigate disease, including those imported for backyard flocks. Typically, all imported poultry are required at minimum to be tested for a disease called pullorum. Additionally, some level of veterinary examination is required for imported individual birds, whereas certified pullorum-free flocks don't require additional certification. As for the regulation of commercial poultry, given the current national situation with the H5N1 strain of avian flu, if commercial poultry are infected, state animal health officials will establish a 10-kilometer control zone around an infected premises. Additionally, DEM has livestock welfare regulations that address the conditions of how all commercial poultry in R.I. are kept. More: Bird flu is sweeping across the country. Here's how RI is already dealing with it. DEM: Backyard flock owners must comply with Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) regulations to legally share or sell eggs in RI. We recommend reaching out to RIDOH for more information about those regulations. Health Department: Anyone selling eggs should be licensed. That may mean holding a 'retail food peddler' license or a "farm home food manufacturer" license, if they are doing other processes, such as making pies. DEM: It's more important for the public to be aware of the H5N1 situation rather than to be concerned. Eggs are safe as long as they're properly cooked and handled. At the national level, there have been about 900 commercial flocks and about 600 backyard flocks affected by H5N1 infection. Backyard flocks typically enforce fewer biosecurity practices and have a higher risk of being in contact with wild waterfowl than most commercial flocks. DEM: In gallinaceous birds (turkeys, chickens, guinea fowl) the hallmark is sudden death affecting most or all of the flock over the course of a couple of days. Birds will be initially inactive, some may be paralyzed, there may be puffy, swollen faces, coughing (known as snicking), and bluish coloration of combs and feet. In waterfowl such as ducks and geese, these same signs may occur, but more commonly present neurological signs like paralysis. The disease may progress more slowly in waterfowl and mortality may be lower. This is presumably because wild waterfowl are the natural host for avian flu viruses, so they may tolerate infection better than gallinaceous birds. DEM: According to the CDC, the risk of avian flu for the general public remains low. At the national level, domestic and feral cats have been infected with H5N1, but most were on infected farms or were fed raw meat diets. Dogs are not known to be easily infected, but pet owners should keep dogs on leashes and away from carcasses of animals. Health Department: Domestic animals can be exposed to and can become infected with H5N1 or other bird flu viruses. Pet owners can keep their pets and themselves safe by knowing where H5N1 is occurring, keeping pets away from dead or sick birds, and avoiding feeding pets raw meat or poultry and unpasteurized (raw) milk. If your pet shows signs of illness compatible with bird flu virus infections (such as fever, lethargy, low appetite, red eyes, discharge from eyes and nose, difficulty breathing or neurologic signs like tremors or seizures) and has been exposed to sick or dead birds, you should monitor your health. Stay up to date on the latest news: Sign up for our breaking news alerts Health Department: The federal government is currently working to develop a vaccine that would help protect humans against avian influenza A(H5N1) viruses. Seasonal flu vaccines do not protect against avian influenza A viruses. However, people with suspected or confirmed H5N1 influenza infection can be treated with available antiviral medication that is used for seasonal influenza. Have more questions about bird flu in Rhode Island? Send them to jperrry@ This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: RI DEM, Health Dept. answer questions on bird flu, backyard flocks and more
