Creating a Healthier Rhode Island
Governor McKee is committed to fostering a holistic and comprehensive approach to health, human services, and community support that ensures every resident can thrive. Our commitment to health and wellness encompasses physical and behavioral health for all Rhode Islanders.
Supporting Behavioral Health and Individuals with Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities
- In 2024, experienced a 25-percent reduction in fatal overdoses compared to 2022, marking a continued two-year decline and falling to levels not seen since before the COVID-19 pandemic.
- In 2025, signed legislation extending the sunset provision of Rhode Island’s four-year pilot program establishing harm reduction centers—aimed at preventing drug overdoses—by two years, through March 1, 2028. Rhode Island was the first state in the nation to authorize such centers with legislation passed in 2021.
- Received multiple regional and national awards for two recent behavioral health public awareness campaigns developed with state agencies and private sector partners. The “If It’s Not Your Prescription, Assume Fentanyl. Every Pill. Every Time” campaign earned two gold Lamplighter Awards and a Communicator Award for excellence in video and social media outreach. The “Our Kids Behavioral Health” campaign received a Bell Ringer Award for its integrated influencer strategy promoting Kids.RI.gov/behavioral-health. These recognitions reflect the impact of effective public health collaboration.
Investing in Children and Families
- Received national accreditation of the Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) through the Council on Accreditation from Social Current, becoming the first state in New England to receive the designation.
- Relaunched DCYF’s Be an Anchor online resource, Rhode Island’s community engagement campaign designed to recruit and retain foster families. The page serves as an informational hub to educate, support, and connect families with the resources needed to care for children and youth in foster care.
Strengthening Rhode Island’s Healthcare System
- Announced numerous strategic actions to strengthen Rhode Island’s primary care system in 2025:
- In response to the closure of Anchor Medical, announced grants for primary care practices (PCPs) to support the recruitment and retention of PCPs and increase access and capacity to serve Rhode Islanders in primary care settings in April 2025. As of June 2025, awarded $6.7 million, inclusive of federal matching funds, to 85 primary care practices in Rhode Island, with some practices receiving over $200,000 for recruiting new doctors and accepting new patients.
- For the first time since FY 2008, invested general revenue to provide additional investments in the Health Professional Loan Repayment Program for primary care providers and pediatricians in the FY 2026 budget.
As part of the program, those professionals commit to practicing in federally designated health professional shortage areas within Rhode Island for at least two years. - Accelerated the review of PCP rates by mandating that the Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner (OHIC) complete the primary care rate review one year earlier.
- Implemented a new OHIC regulation requiring commercial health insurers to increase funding for primary care reimbursements over a four-year period, with the goal of doubling per-member primary care spending by 2029.
- Signed legislation in 2025 eliminating all prior authorization requirements for in-network primary care providers for three years, reducing administrative burdens and allowing providers to deliver care more efficiently.
- Maintained strong national health care rankings in 2025, with Rhode Island ranked 2nd in the nation by both Leapfrog and WalletHub, and 4th by the Commonwealth Fund and U.S. News.
Preventing Gun Violence and Enhancing Firearm Safety
- Signed legislation into law in 2025 that bans the sale of certain military-style assault weapons in Rhode Island. This bill is the latest piece of gun safety legislation Governor McKee and the General Assembly have worked together to sign to keep communities safer and limit these weapons in Rhode Island.
New Gun Safety Goal
Continue efforts to combat gun violence through a comprehensive, community-based approach, working closely with law enforcement, public health experts, educators, and local stakeholders to implement prevention strategies, expand intervention programs, and promote safer neighborhoods across Rhode Island.
Supporting Veterans and Seniors
Announced, through DEM, the availability of 5,000 preloaded $50 benefit cards for eligible seniors to purchase fresh, locally grown fruits, vegetables, and honey at farmers markets across Rhode Island. Cards are distributed through over 90 senior centers, with produce boxes delivered to homebound seniors—supporting both senior nutrition and the local food economy.
Reducing Homelessness and Promoting Housing Stability
- Opened ECHO Village, a pallet shelter community aimed at providing safe, emergency shelter for 45 Rhode Islanders experiencing homelessness as they work to transition to permanent housing.
- Established two new permanent, recurring sources of state funding for homelessness services and supports.
- Invested $9 million in Crossroads Rhode Island’s innovative Health & Housing Apartments, the state’s first permanent supportive housing complex for formerly homeless adults with medical vulnerabilities.