Latest news with #URI
4 days ago
- General
Special Olympics RI Summer Games continue Saturday
SOUTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. (WPRI) — The Special Olympics Rhode Island Summer Games continued on Saturday at URI's Kingston campus. Today's events include bowling, powerlifting, track & field, and soccer. On Friday morning, bowling and track & field events were held, before the Torch Run ceremony was held at the R.I. State House and followed by the Opening Ceremony at Meade Stadium. On Sunday, the games continue at St. George's School in Middletown with swimming events. SCHEDULE: Special Olympics RI 2025 Summer Games This is Special Olympics Rhode Island's biggest sporting event of the year. WPRI 12 is a proud sponsor of Special Olympics Rhode Island. 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 This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
4 days ago
- Business
Report: Benefits outweigh hurdles in creating a public medical school at URI
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — A new report said the University of Rhode Island is 'strategically positioned' to expand the state's primary care physician workforce by developing a public medical school, though there are still unanswered questions about how it would work. The overview, authored by medical education consulting firm Tripp Umbach, was presented on Friday to the R.I. Senate's special legislative commission to study the state's health care workforce. Founder and president Paul Umbach said Friday's report was a 'concept overview' and that a draft feasibility report would be done sometime this summer. The Senate passed a resolution in June that created the 21-member panel, which is also tasked with analyzing the potential of establishing a medical school at URI. 'With over 300 additional primary care providers needed statewide, and nearly half of the current physicians nearing retirement, the situation has reached a tipping point,' the report said. RELATED: Hundreds more physicians needed to address RI primary care shortage While Rhode Island has been home to Brown University's Alpert School of Medicine since 1972, no other medical schools have been established in the state. The report noted that Brown's medical graduates also 'primarily pursue specialties rather than primary care.' A study published last year in the Rhode Island Medical Journal also found that out of 106 medical students who did their residencies in primary care during the 2022-23 academic year, just 15 planned to practice primary care in Rhode Island after graduating. The consultants said if the school were to have a program that emphasized primary care and community-based training, it would not only help to retain more graduates in the state, but 'would also generate economic growth, research activity, and healthcare access improvements.' 'URI offers a strong foundation for a new school of medicine through its existing pharmacy,nursing, and health sciences programs, which provide infrastructure, interprofessional education opportunities, and established clinical partnerships,' the report said. 'These programs offer existing infrastructure such as simulation labs, research facilities, and experienced administrative teams, which can be shared to reduce startup costs and streamline operations.' The report also highlighted how URI's 'existing clinical partnerships and rotation sites developed for nursing and pharmacy students' could accelerate the development of clinical trainingplacements for medical students. 'These programs also help establish academic pipelines, encouraging students from related fields to pursue medical education through pre-med tracks and early assurance programs,' the report added. In February, the university announced that it earned an 'R1 designation' in the latest Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. The university said the designation 'signifies that URI has achieved the highest level of research activity,' which was measured by the number of doctoral degrees awarded, in addition to the amount of spending dedicated to research and development. Tripp Umbach said that designation 'significantly enhances its capacity to attract top-tier faculty, research funding, and high-caliber students.' 'With strong stakeholder support and backing from the state government, URI is strategically positioned to lead a transformative effort to expand the physician workforce and improve healthcare equity across Rhode Island,' the report said. Still, the report noted that 'critical challenges remain,' like securing funding, expanding clinical training capacities, and managing potential resistance from existing institutions. The authors said incentives like loan forgiveness and tuition reimbursement would help attract more applicants. 'The long-term benefits of addressing Rhode Island's physician shortage outweigh these hurdles,' the report's authors added. 'No time not to act': Neronha unveils plan to confront RI health care crisis The report also pointed out that creating a medical school at URI would 'yield substantial economic benefits, including job creation, research funding opportunities, and advancing Rhode Island's biomedical sector.' 'Typically, the annual operations of a public medical school in the early years of development have an economic impact of approximately $150 million and supports approximately 1,000 jobs directly and indirectly,' the report said. The firm concluded that each physician who's trained, completes residency, and remains in the community has 'an annual $2.2 million economic impact and supports 15 jobs directly and indirectly.' The report's authors said that what remained unclear is how the state would secure clinical training sites, attract local students, and establish 'sustainable financial and legislative support' for the proposed school. The report said in order to ensure there are clinical training sites, URI has to secure partnerships with 'a broad array of health care providers' across the state. 'These institutions can serve as anchor institutions for clerkships, residencies, and potentiallyfaculty recruitment,' the report said. ALSO READ: What to do if Brown Health, UnitedHealthcare don't strike a deal Additionally, Tripp Umbach recommended that URI should try to leverage both community hospitals and Federally Qualified Health Centers across the state to fulfill rural and primary care training requirements. The report's authors said they believe 'there is sufficient training capacity' in the state for a medical school class of 100 students. The report suggested that the school should use 'a multi-faceted, mission-driven recruitment strategy,' in addition to emphasizing a 'strong commitment to training physicianswho will serve within the state, particularly in rural and underserved communities.' One way the school could attract students is with tuition incentives or offering student loan repayment for graduates who practice in Rhode Island post-residency. Tripp Umbach said the estimated capital costs to create a school would be approximately $125 million. The firm said its projection was based on 'recent benchmarks from comparable institutions,' including the University of Central Florida, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. In an effort to manage both cost and efficiency, the authors said URI should consider locating the new school within the existing health science infrastructure at the university or designing a phased construction plan. Tripp Umbach concluded that start-up costs to launch the school, like curriculum development, accreditation, recruiting founding faculty and marketing, were projected to be about $90 million. 'A private lead donor will be instrumental in generating momentum and credibility for the campaign, catalyzing broader philanthropic support,' the report said. Additionally, the report said to 'ensure long-term financial sustainability and quality programs,' the school would need $20 million in annual state operating revenue, plus a recurring state budget line item for operational support, with a recommended annual appropriation of $25 million. In all, the report concluded a new school would cost $225 million in the first 10 years of development and operation, but noted that financial figures may change after a final analysis. The commission is scheduled to issue its own recommendations to the Senate by the end of the year. NEXT: Mediated talks between Butler Hospital, striking staffers stall again Alexandra Leslie (aleslie@ is a Target 12 investigative reporter covering Providence and more for 12 News. Connect with her on Twitter and on Facebook. 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.
6 days ago
- General
Special Olympics RI Summer Games begin Friday
SOUTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. (WPRI) — Special Olympians from around Rhode Island will show off their skills this coming weekend as they compete in the annual Summer Games. This year's games will be held May 30-31 at URI's Kingston campus and June 1 at St. George's School in Middletown. It's Special Olympics Rhode Island's biggest sporting event of the year. Wednesday was 'Truck Day,' the unofficial start of the Summer Games. A trailer loaded up with equipment and supplies left the Special Olympics RI headquarters in Smithfield and was escorted by police down to URI. The Torch Run ceremony at the R.I. State House starts at 1 p.m. on Friday, May 30, followed by the Opening Ceremony at Meade Stadium at 7 p.m. However, competition begins earlier in the day with bowling at 10 a.m. Other events include track and field, soccer, powerlifting and swimming. See a full schedule of events here. SCHEDULE: Special Olympics RI 2025 Summer Games WPRI 12 is a proud sponsor of Special Olympics Rhode Island, and we'll have live coverage Friday on 12 News and right here on 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.
27-05-2025
- Business
Should John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF (JHMM) Be on Your Investing Radar?
Looking for broad exposure to the Mid Cap Blend segment of the US equity market? You should consider the John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF (JHMM), a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 09/28/2015. The fund is sponsored by John Hancock. It has amassed assets over $3.96 billion, making it one of the larger ETFs attempting to match the Mid Cap Blend segment of the US equity market. Mid cap companies have market capitalization between $2 billion and $10 billion. They usually have higher growth prospects than large cap companies and are less volatile than small cap companies. These types of companies, then, have a good balance of stability and growth potential. Typically holding a combination of both growth and value stocks, blend ETFs also demonstrate qualities seen in value and growth investments. Investors should also pay attention to an ETF's expense ratio. Lower cost products will produce better results than those with a higher cost, assuming all other metrics remain the same. Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.42%, putting it on par with most peer products in the space. It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.04%. It is important to delve into an ETF's holdings before investing despite the many upsides to these kinds of funds like diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis. This ETF has heaviest allocation to the Industrials sector--about 20.10% of the portfolio. Financials and Information Technology round out the top three. Looking at individual holdings, United Rentals Inc (URI) accounts for about 0.56% of total assets, followed by Vistra Corp (VST) and Hartford Insurance Group Inc (HIG). The top 10 holdings account for about 4.75% of total assets under management. JHMM seeks to match the performance of the John Hancock Dimensional Mid Cap Index before fees and expenses. The John Hancock Dimensional Mid Cap Index comprises of a subset of securities in the U.S. Universe issued by companies whose market capitalizations are between the 200th and 951st largest U.S. company. The ETF has lost about -2.08% so far this year and it's up approximately 5.42% in the last one year (as of 05/27/2025). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $50.32 and $64.80. The ETF has a beta of 1.04 and standard deviation of 19% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 664 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk. John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF carries a Zacks ETF Rank of 3 (Hold), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Thus, JHMM is a sufficient option for those seeking exposure to the Style Box - Mid Cap Blend area of the market. Investors might also want to consider some other ETF options in the space. The Vanguard Mid-Cap ETF (VO) and the iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap ETF (IJH) track a similar index. While Vanguard Mid-Cap ETF has $78.13 billion in assets, iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap ETF has $91.20 billion. VO has an expense ratio of 0.04% and IJH charges 0.05%. While an excellent vehicle for long term investors, passively managed ETFs are a popular choice among institutional and retail investors due to their low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency. To learn more about this product and other ETFs, screen for products that match your investment objectives and read articles on latest developments in the ETF investing universe, please visit Zacks ETF Center. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF (JHMM): ETF Research Reports The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. (HIG) : Free Stock Analysis Report United Rentals, Inc. (URI) : Free Stock Analysis Report iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap ETF (IJH): ETF Research Reports Vanguard Mid-Cap ETF (VO): ETF Research Reports Vistra Corp. (VST) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
27-05-2025
- Sport
Hometown Hero – Ben Jahnz, Cumberland
PROVIDENCE, RI (WPRI) — This week's Cardi's Furniture & Mattresses Hometown Sports Hero is Cumberland pitcher Ben Jahnz. He's earned a team high five wins on the mound with a 2.29 ERA. Jahnz' 5-1 record, helping the Clippers clinch the two seed in the division one baseball playoffs. 'He's able to really flip that switch,' said Cumberland head coach Steve Rocchio. 'That's really important, being able to feel the pressure but not be too focused in on the situation but to be able to flip that switch when the game starts. That's important stuff and I think he's done a really, really good job taking accountability as being captain, and being a senior leader and really taking hold of what he can control and doing his job.' His success on the mound has been noticed at the next level. Jahnz drew the attention of the URI coaching staff after pitching against one of their recruits. He committed after visiting in July. 'I mean it's really cool. I wouldn't have even thought I could have done it a couple of years ago the way I was playing but I just kept working,' said Jahnz. 'Playing better guys around me helped me, like Michael Bradshaw. Those guys helped me, even guys now like Liam help me get better every day.' While he's excited about his future in Kingston, Ben's locked in on the Clippers' postseason. Cumberland earned a bye in the division one playoffs, so he'll get the ball when they play their first game. His goal is to win another state title to match the one he earned in 2023. If you have a Hometown Sports Hero you'd like to nominate, email sports@ 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.
