Claudia Chiappa

PROVIDENCE – A group of 12 Greater Providence residents graduated from ONE Neighborhood Builders’ Community Health Worker Pre-Apprenticeship Program, a first-of-its-kind program that provides pathways into community health care. “I want to congratulate the graduates of the pre-apprenticeship program,” said Jennifer Hawkins, ONE|NB’s president and executive director. “This program provides people a pathway to a […]

Yahaira “Jay” Placencia, senior vice president and private client adviser for Bank of America Corp., was recently appointed to Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island’s board of directors. She discusses health care’s financial challenges, the importance of health equity and Neighborhood’s goals. PBN: What drew you to Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island? PLACENCIA: As […]

PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island family caregivers provided $2.1 billion in unpaid care to loved ones in 2021, according to AARP’s latest report. The report, part of the nonprofit’s Valuing the Invaluable series, highlighted “growing scope and complexity of family caregiving” and the actions that must be taken to address the challenges faced by family caregivers. […]

PAWTUCKET – East Providence-based meal delivery service Feast & Fettle is opening its first brick-and-mortar store at 727 East Ave. in Pawtucket. The retail location, set to open around the end of March, will give customers the opportunity to buy pre-packaged meals in person. “We want to serve our existing customers more conveniently and introduce […]

NEWPORT – PACE Organization of Rhode Island has expanded its services in Newport, effective Jan. 19. The nonprofit first reached the island in 2021, when it opened a day center in Newport. But after receiving authorization from The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in January, nursing home eligible seniors now have access to PACE-RI’s […]

EAST PROVIDENCE – Bradley Hospital has appointed Kristen Kichefski as its new chief nursing officer. Kichefski previously served as director of nursing at the Mass. Department of Mental Health’s Dr. Solomon Carter Fuller Mental Health Center. Prior to that, she was the director of nursing at the DMH Cape Cod and Islands Community Mental Health […]

Dr. Jeffrey Jacques is the new chief medical officer of Virgin Pulse Inc. Former CVS Health Corp. and Aetna Inc. clinical leader, in his new role Jacques will advance the company’s clinical strategy, work with product and commercial teams, and lead the company’s Science Advisory Board. PBN: How do you think your leadership experience at […]

Olin Thompson’s Jewelry District walking tour begins at the corner of Richmond and Ship streets in Providence, on a plaza covered in stepped, wooden decking and stone pavers designed to be an inviting gathering place. It’s a convenient starting point for the two-hour tour in which Thompson, an amateur historian, takes visitors through the dynamic… […]

PAWTUCKET – Northeast Transportation Services LLC will remain a contractor for DHL Express in Pawtucket, after reaching a labor agreement with its unionized workers. South-Carolina-based Northeast Transportation Services, a third-party contractor that employs drivers for DHL Express, had filed the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification with the R.I. Department of Labor and Training on Jan. […]

PROVIDENCE – Wood River Health has appointed Dr. Jonathan Gates as its new chief medical officer, effective January 2023. In his new role, Gates will identify and prioritize rising risk patients for care, develop and implement quality workflows, and enhance patients’ experience. He will also provide care at Wood River Health’s new Express Care Clinic […]

Lydia Shin Schroter is the co-founder of the New England Medical Innovation Center and a serial entrepreneur and investor. She leads NEMIC’S global programs, which bring foreign startups to Providence to help them break into the U.S. market. She recently traveled to South Korea for the 20th World Korean Business Convention, where she was invited […]

PROVIDENCE – Racial and ethnic disparities still exist in maternal health in Rhode Island, according to a new report by Rhode Island KIDS COUNT. The report, “Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Maternal, Infant, and Young Children’s Health in Rhode Island,” highlights the disparities in maternal, infant and child health that disproportionately affect women and children […]

Matthew Santacroce | Chief, R.I. Office of Cannabis Regulation 1. How much recreational marijuana has been sold since Dec. 1? Did these initial sales numbers meet the office’s ­expectations? Through Dec. 31, licensed retailers in Rhode Island collectively reported roughly $3.4 million in adult use marijuana sales. While we expect sales to steadily increase in the future, this… […]

PROVIDENCE – Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island has expanded access to behavioral health care services for its members, including urgent and pediatric services, in response to a shortage of mental health services in the state. With this expansion, members will have access to more appointments and expanded access to Butler Hospital’s HealthPath […]

Newly appointed to Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island’s board of directors, Dr. Dioscaris Garcia is the co-director of the Weiss Center for Orthopaedic Trauma Research and co-chair of the Department of Orthopaedics Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee at Rhode Island Hospital, and assistant professor of orthopaedics and director of the Center for Student Belonging […]

PROVIDENCE – University Gastroenterology has named Eric Newton its new president. Newton, who has been with the group for over 13 years, is succeeding Eric P. Berthiaume as president. Newton is also a clinical assistant professor of medicine at Brown University’s Warren Alpert Medical School. “I’m both excited and honored to take the torch from […]

PROVIDENCE – Care New England Health Systems has named Todd A. Conklin its new chief financial officer and executive vice president effective Feb. 13, the hospital system announced on Thursday. Conklin succeeds Joseph Iannoni, who retired on Jan. 31 after almost a decade with the hospital system. Conklin was selected after a nationwide search. “With […]

WARWICK – Kent County Memorial Hospital has named Michael Lee the new medical director of its at-home program. Kent Hospital at Home is a program that allows patients to receive hospital-quality care in their own homes. After an initial emergency department visit, selected patients return to their homes, where they are cared for by an… […]

PROVIDENCE – A consultant is recommending the I-195 Redevelopment District Commission reject the Fane tower’s updated design plans ahead of Wednesday’s meeting. The Fane Organization is presenting the updated design for the “Hope Point Tower” on Wednesday, but the commission’s consultant, Tim Love of Utile Architecture and Planning, has submitted a memo asking the commission […]

PROVIDENCE – Two Rhode Island hospitals are recruiting participants for a clinical trial to test the effect of lecanemab in treating preclinical Alzheimer’s disease. Butler Hospital’s Memory and Aging Program and Rhode Island Hospital’s Alzheimer’s Disease and Memory Disorders Center are recruiting individuals who are at high risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease for the AHEAD […]