Today, the Rhode Island Department of Health (HEALTH) presented Pawtucket Mayor James Doyle with a Community Partnership Award. This award is presented to individuals or groups in Rhode Island whose contributions are exceptional and support the mission of HEALTH.
Mayor Doyle was an early supporter of the RENEW program. The RENEW program is funded by HEALTH and focuses on providing HIV prevention services to high-risk women. The Mayor has advocated for collaboration between the city’s police force and the community to address the issues of women at high risk for HIV and abuse due to commercial sex work. Because of the collaborative effort, HIV risk for women and policing problems have been reduced. Seventy three percent of the Barton Street community reported an improvement in their quality of life since these efforts began.
The Pawtucket Police Department was recently awarded the HIV Prevention Leadership Award.