Governor Dan McKee and the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) announced today that in the coming weeks, the State will be making up to $90,000 in grant funding available to numerous primary care sites to support their work to train more students and mentor Rhode Island's next generation of physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants.
RIDOH's Primary Care Training Sites Program began accepting applications this week. This program is being supported by $2.7 million in State General Revenue funding.
"The Primary Care Training Sites Program is one of many steps we are taking across our administration to bolster primary care in Rhode Island," said Governor Dan McKee. "Accessible, quality primary care can lower rates of chronic conditions, lessen the burden on our hospital system, and bring down Rhode Island's overall healthcare costs in line with the goals of our RI 2030 plan."
In his budget this year, Governor McKee is proposing additional measures to strengthen Rhode Island's primary care workforce. These include increasing investments in the Health Professional Loan Repayment Program and recommending that primary care provider reimbursement rates be reviewed by the Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner as part of its upcoming evaluation in September 2027. These efforts are a crucial step toward fostering a more competitive primary care job market in Rhode Island.
"Primary care is the backbone of the healthcare system in Rhode Island," said Director of Health Jerry Larkin, MD. "This program will encourage trainees in primary care to remain in Rhode Island after completing their education, and it will enhance Rhode Island's clinical training capacity. Given the national shortage of primary care providers, this is more important than ever."
"Rhode Island has a critical shortage of primary care providers, one that is only going to get worse swiftly if we don't take action," said Senator Pamela J. Lauria (D-Dist. 32, Barrington, Bristol, East Providence). "Right now, Rhode Island is on track to be short about 100 primary care providers by 2030. That's a shortage large enough to mean 1 in 5 Rhode Islanders will be unable to find a primary care provider. As a state, we must recruit, train, retain, and sustain the number of primary care providers necessary to meet the health demands of all Rhode Islanders."
The program is being run in partnership with the Care Transformation Collaborative of Rhode Island (CTC-RI). CTC-RI, originally co-convened by the Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner (OHIC) and the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS), works to pilot and support initiatives and programs statewide that improve and transform primary care––from integrating behavioral health into primary care to community-focused care support for children and families. CTC-RI is developing the program curriculum that preceptors from awarded sites will be trained in and will use to train students. (A preceptor is an experienced healthcare professional who supervises and mentors students or trainees in a clinical setting.) Additionally, CTC-RI will organize learning collaboratives for clinical educators.
"Our state is facing a significant primary care workforce shortage, resulting in too many patients left without access to much needed primary care––the backbone of our healthcare system. Thanks to our new Primary Care Training Sites Program in partnership with RIDOH, made possible by our legislature, we're responding to the needs of our workforce, adding capacity to recruit and train future primary care providers and encourage them to stay and work in Rhode Island," said Debra Hurwitz, MBA, BSN, RN, executive director of the Care Transformation Collaborative of RI. "While there's no single solution to our workforce crisis, adding primary care-specific training and capacity will help us increase the provider pipeline, resulting in more access for Rhode Islanders."
The program will expand interdisciplinary clinical training at advanced primary care sites. The program aims to increase Rhode Island's training capacity by 50% for nurse practitioners, physician assistant students, and physician residents. Practices can receive up to $90,000 per calendar year. Participating sites will receive funding based on their anticipated enrollment of trainees, helping to offset the costs associated with clinical education.
Primary care students in training may conduct patient assessments, assist with medical procedures, develop treatment plans under supervision, or learn how to coordinate care within a healthcare team. At sites awarded funding through this program, preceptors play a crucial role in ensuring that trainees gain hands-on experience while providing quality care to patients.
All applicants must be fully registered in the Rhode Island Division of Purchases' Ocean State Procures system with a current, signed W-9 form uploaded. Full registration is required to receive a Purchase Order and begin work. Since approval can take up to three weeks, applicants are encouraged to complete registration before applying to avoid funding delays.
The Primary Care Training Sites Program was established by the Rhode Island General Assembly in July 2024. It is dedicated to enhancing and expanding Rhode Island's capacity to train the next generation of healthcare professionals. By supporting community-based primary care practices and preceptors, the program creates high-quality training opportunities for medical students, residents, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants.
Through strategic grants, the Primary Care Training Sites Program incentivizes practices to expand their capacity to train students while supporting preceptors in mentoring the next generation of providers. (Preceptors are the clinicians who train future doctors, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants.) The program prioritizes practices recognized as Patient-Centered Medical Homes (PCMH) by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) and those integrating behavioral health services, promoting collaboration across disciplines.
For more information about the Primary Care Training Sites Program, see: https://health.ri.gov/healthcare/primary-care-training-site-program