Today, the Rhode Island Department of Health (HEALTH) presented The RISE TB Specialty Clinic, represented by Susan Korber, RN, MS, OCN, NE-BC, 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.
Clinicians and staff were key partners in providing specialty TB care to the students and staff at Central Falls High School during this year’s contact investigation of two active cases of TB. This important public health process lasted for nearly six months and required three separate rounds of TB skin testing at the school. Any person who had a positive TB skin test was referred to The RISE TB Clinic for further evaluation and/or treatment. Clinicians and staff at the clinic provided on-site and expanded clinical practice hours to accommodate the needs of HEALTH and the Central Falls community.
TB is a reportable disease, and is therefore part of HEALTH’s disease surveillance system. HEALTH sees about 50 cases of active TB every year in Rhode Island (about 1 a week) in Rhode Islanders from all towns and cities, of all ages and all races. HEALTH partners with The RISE TB Clinic for diagnosis, treatment and follow up of people who have TB or are suspected to have TB. There are some 7,000 patient visits each year to The RISE Clinic.