Long-term behavioral unit at Our Lady of Fatima could free up short-term, acute care at RI hospitals

A group of people holding hands on top of a couch.

Governor Dan McKee submitted a budget amendment recommending approximately $4.3 million in state funds to enhance behavioral health services at Our Lady of Fatima Hospital. Specifically, this funding will position the state to request approval from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for a new Medicaid reimbursement rate structure that would support a…

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A close look on “Facts and Figures” about Alzheimer’s – Herb Weiss

An elderly woman is holding an elderly woman's hand.

by Herb Weiss, contributing writer on aging issues For over five years, Janet Bryant, 65, has been a caregiver for her 67-year-old husband, Paul, who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease. Their daughter, Alison, and husband Ryan, living in the condo above her parents, step in to assist with caregiver duties when needed.  “It’s often a long…

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RI Office of Healthy Aging would return to state department status

A group of people standing in front of a bookcase.

From left, Newport senior Penny Fitch, Rep. Deborah Ruggiero (D-Dist. 74, Jamestown, Middletown), Rep. Lauren H. Carson (D-Dist. 75, Newport) and Robert Robillard, president of the Rhode Island Senior Center Directors Association and director of Coventry’s Department of Human Services. Rep. Lauren H. Carson and Rep. Deborah Ruggiero were joined by senior center directors, seniors…

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