Latest news with #RhodeIslandStateHouse
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Why early childhood home visits are cause for celebration in R.I.
Elizabeth Garganese, RN, is a nurse in the First Connections program at Children's Friend, helped connect Maryam and her son Eli with a pediatrician and ongoing education and support. Only the first names for the family are used here to protect their privacy. (Photo by Rise To It Productions, Courtesy of Children's Friend) I am a nurse in the First Connections program at Children's Friend. I recently spoke at Home Visiting Day at the Rhode Island State House and joined Rep. Joshua Giraldo, a Central Falls Democrat, on the floor of the House for the reading of a resolution commemorating May 8 as Home Visiting Day. Home visiting programs are designed to support families during the crucial early days and years of a child's life. Nurses like me, along with social workers and family support specialists, bring our expertise directly into a client's home — making home visiting one of the most accessible forms of support available to new parents. Unfortunately, most new parents don't even know this kind of help exists. Last year, the Rhode Island Legislature included updated rates for First Connections in the fiscal year 2025 budget, which effectively saved the program. I am incredibly grateful for this investment. However, significant challenges remain. Uncertainty at the federal level, combined with Rhode Island's shift to a new fee-for-service Medicaid model, continues to strain our ability to deliver services. That's why passing the RI Home Visiting Act (H6073/S677) is more critical than ever. This legislation would require the state to invest enough to qualify for the maximum federal match. The federal government contributes $3 for every $1 contributed by the state. If the state allocates $356,000 for family home visiting in the fiscal year 2026 budget, that would generate $1.1 million in federal funding. Right now, Rhode Island is one of just three states leaving that money on the table. The other two states are North Dakota and Tennessee. I believe the lack of investment is simply a lack of awareness. More people need to understand just how vital these programs are. First Connections provides peace of mind and essential support to new parents across the socioeconomic spectrum. This includes addressing the mental and physical health needs of postpartum mothers. Through First Connections, I've visited families who needed help with the basics: safe sleep, breastfeeding, diapering. I've also walked into homes where mothers or babies were in acute medical crisis: dangerously high blood pressure, infant dehydration, undiagnosed postpartum mood disorders, infected C-section incisions. In those cases, serious illness — or even death — could have been the outcome. But it wasn't, because First Connections was there. Being able to guide and intervene at such a critical moment in a family's life is deeply fulfilling. I believe the lack of investment is simply a lack of awareness. More people need to understand just how vital these programs are. First Connections is a short-term program, which covers up to three visits. It's crisis management and an essential connection to longer-term resources for many families. At Children's Friend, nearly 40% of the families we serve through First Connections are referred to longer-term home visiting programs, like Healthy Families America and Early Head Start. In some cases, we also refer older siblings for Early Intervention services after observing developmental challenges in their home environment. Take Maryam's story for example: We visited Maryam and her family just days after she gave birth to her son, Eli. Our priority was making sure both mom and baby were safe and healthy. For Maryam, that meant helping her get to a doctor to refill a critical medication for a pre-existing condition. For Eli, we secured a pediatrician and helped resolve a health insurance issue caused by an error on his birth certificate. We also made sure the older children were safe by installing locks and screens on windows and doors. Without First Connections, Maryam's health and Eli's development could have been seriously at risk. For Maryam and Eli, three visits weren't enough, so we connected the family with Early Head Start, a longer-term home visiting program at Children's Friend. Now, the entire family receives ongoing education and support alongside other families with young children. According to a report by the Department of Health, we are only reaching a quarter of the most vulnerable children in our state through home visiting programs. My hope is that awareness will improve participation in these life-changing programs. I consider nursing my life's calling. Through home visiting, I'm not only helping to ensure the immediate health of moms and babies, but I'm working to build stronger, healthier futures for entire families. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Out of hospital, Senate President Ruggerio has yet to return to the State House
Senate President Dominick Ruggerio, left, shares a laugh with Sen. David Tikoian during his return to the Senate floor June 6, 2024. (Photo by Christopher Shea/Rhode Island Current) The wait continues for Senate President Dominick Ruggerio's return to the Rhode Island State House. Ruggerio, 76, missed Thursday's session. Greg Paré, a Senate spokesperson, confirmed Ruggerio would be absent in an email an hour before he was set to bang the gavel marking the start of the legislative session. He was initially expected to be back behind the Rhode Island Senate rostrum this week, after recovering from pneumonia. 'He just decided he's going to take another day at home,' Paré said in an interview Thursday afternoon. 'He's been through a lot.' Ruggerio has not set a new date for his return, instead 'taking it day by day,' Paré said. Ruggerio last appeared on the Senate floor on Feb. 11. Including Thursday, he will have missed nine out of 13 legislative sessions this year, some of which were held while he was in-patient, followed by a stay at the rehabilitation center, at Our Lady of Fatima Hospital in North Providence. Ruggerio was released from the rehabilitation center on March 12, but also missed the Senate's session that afternoon, and again on Tuesday, despite repeated reassurances by Paré that his recovery was going well. The Senate has been meeting weekly since January 7, increasing to biweekly at the beginning of March. Paré said Ruggerio 'sounded great' when the two spoke by phone Thursday morning. Ruggerio opted to skip Tuesday's session due to the 'limited Senate business' — the calendar included a dual celebration for St. Patrick's and St. Joseph's Day — Paré said in a text message. At that time, Ruggerio planned to return to the chamber on Thursday, Paré said. Ruggerio's multiple absences during the 2024 legislative session due to illness caused friction among Senate Democrats, including with his former majority leader, Sen. Ryan Pearson. After Ruggerio backed Sen. Valarie Lawson to replace Pearson as his second-in-command, Pearson challenged Ruggerio for the president role. Ruggerio held on to his seat in the November caucus, though nearly one-third of Senate Democrats sided with Pearson in the caucus, again voting 'present' rather than for Ruggerio on the first day of session on Jan. 7. Senate President Pro Tempore Hanna Gallo presided over the Senate on Thursday in Ruggerio's absence. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
R.I. Senate approves rule change to post written testimony online
Sen. Mark McKenney, a Warwick Democrat, introduced proposed rules for the Rhode Island Senate on Thursday, March 13, 2025. The rule changes, which were unanimously approved, include requiring the chamber to post written testimony online. (Screenshot) By the time state senators return to the Rhode Island State House on March 18, written testimony on the proposals they are vetting will be available on the Rhode Island General Assembly website. The online postings were incorporated into procedural rules the upper chamber approved in an unanimous vote Thursday. The 31-page list, adopted biannually at the start of each legislative session after an election year, covers everything from responsibilities of Senate staff and legislative committees, to where senators sit in the chamber (determined by the Senate president) and how many bills each senator can introduce (25 bills maximum per session). Among the paragraphs of procedural minutiae, a new, one sentence addition requires the Senate to publish online any written testimony related to bills. The move mirrors a similar practice adopted by the House four years earlier, in the wake of the pandemic. Good government groups and media members have pushed for the Senate to follow suit, but without success. The Senate leadership has cited lack of staff as the reason why it can't post bill testimony online. Unlike the House, which has full-time clerks, the Senate's clerks work part-time. But continued pressure, including from Sen. Mark McKenney, a Warwick Democrat and chair of the Senate Committee on Rules, Government Ethics and Oversight, persuaded naysayers to come around. The Senate is planning to hire a new, full-time staffer specifically dedicated to sorting public commentary and posting it online with the appropriate committee to meet the rule change, using funds already allocated as part of its fiscal 2025 budget. The Senate has not hired anyone as of Thursday, with plans to use existing staff to fulfill the new posting requirement temporarily, said Greg Paré, a Senate spokesperson. Other changes included in the new set of rules include a new clause encouraging use of reusable beverage containers in the chamber, and reducing the mandated number of ethics and Human Rights Commission training senators are required to complete from one per year to once every two years. 'These were the revisions that had fairly broad support,' McKenney said prior to the vote. Senate President Dominick Ruggerio was among vocal proponents for publishing testimony online. 'Responsibly balancing our available resources with the many demands on staff is always a challenge, but it is time to take this important step forward,' Ruggerio said in a statement Thursday. 'Improving access to public testimony will strengthen the committee process, improve public transparency, and foster trust in government, all of which is essential to the work we do at the State House.' Ruggerio did not attend Thursday's session having just been released from Our Lady of Fatima Hospital's rehabilitation center earlier that day, Paré said. Ruggerio was admitted to the hospital in his North Providence district more than two weeks ago with pneumonia. He is expected to return to the Senate rostrum next week and is 'doing wonderfully,' Paré said in an email Thursday. Since lawmakers began meeting on Jan. 7, Ruggerio has missed seven out of 11 legislative sessions, prompting friction among Senate Democrats over how to respond to the absences and health challenges of their longtime leader. Ruggerio, 76, was forced to miss large chunks of the 2024 legislative session due to illness. He staved off a challenge for the president role from his former Majority Leader, Sen. Ryan Pearson, in November, though nearly one-third of Senate Democrats sided with Pearson in the caucus. Pearson, a Cumberland Democrat, along with Sens. Ana Quezada, a Providence Democrat, and Bridget Valverde, a North Kingstown Democrat, were absent from the vote Thursday. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
