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STATE HOUSE, Providence – The Rhode Island Senate today passed a resolution creating a 21-member commission to study and analyze the state’s health care workforce as it pertains to educating and retaining primary care physicians, including the potential of establishing a medical school at the University of Rhode Island.
“Rhode Island is headed for a crisis in primary care,” said Senator V. Susan Sosnowski (D – Dist. 37, South Kingstown), who sponsored the resolution, 2024-S 3165. “While we took important steps this year to address this problem as part of the Senate’s health care package, including monetary support for primary care training sites and tuition assistance included in the budget, more remains to be done. While we will continue to work on the aspects of the health package that address the coming primary care crisis, such as reimbursement rates, we also know that these bills are not a silver bullet. We need to explore every avenue we can to ensure Rhode Islanders can access the care they need.”
The resolution notes that Rhode Island is experiencing a net loss of primary care clinicians and the shortage is expected to worsen in the years ahead. The inability of many Rhode Island residents to find primary care physicians is resulting in the use of community health centers and urgent care facilities to meet their medical needs, which strains resources and creates additional pressures on the health care system.
While Rhode Island is home to a private medical school, no new medical
schools have been established in the state since 1972.
“Rhode Island struggles to retain primary care physicians upon graduation
and offset these losses with physicians moving into the state,” the resolution states. “Rhode Island must look towards the creation of a college of medicine to train and retain the next generation of the primary care physicians.”
The resolution is co-sponsored President of the Senate Dominick J. Ruggerio (D – Dist. 4, North Providence, Providence), and Senators Pamela J. Lauria (D – Dist. 32, Barrington, Bristol, East Providence), and Alana M. DiMario (D – Dist. 36, Narragansett, North Kingstown, New Shoreham).
The commission is charged with developing and issuing its recommendations to the Senate by December 20, 2025.
For more information, contact:
Greg Pare, Director of Communications for the Senate
State House Room 112
Providence, RI 02903
(401) 276-5558
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