Tagged: Department of Health

In commemoration of National Nurses Week a celebration was held today at the State House in honor of Block Island nurse, Mary Donnelly.

Donnelly retired from her position as a state nurse on the island after more than 55 years of work.  She recalled the beginning of her career, when there was no doctor on the island.

“Best time of my life was when there was no doctor.  Do you know?  Because you had to use your head, use whatever you could to help a person.  And that was innovation I’ll tell you, to work that way.”

In the past year and a half, according to Rhode Island Department of Health records, seven physicians have been disciplined--some even forced to stop practicing medicine--for improperly prescribing narcotics.

The Rhode Island Dental Association has filed suit in Superior Court against the Rhode Island Department of Health and the Board of Examiners in Dentistry. The suit alleges the state is abusing its power to regulate the dental profession.

The dentists’ group claims that state investigators illegally raided some dentists’ offices, interrupting one surgery in progress. The complaint also alleges that the state’s Board of Examiners in Dentistry failed to give dentists a clear set of regulations for handling anesthesia, controlling infection, and other practices.

Rhode Island regulators have given their final approval for the sale of Westerly Hospital to the New London-based Lawrence & Memorial Hospital.

The head of Rhode Island’s Department of Health and the state's Attorney General have signed off on the deal to sell Westerly to L&M. Now, the deal is expected to close June first. Westerly Hospital has been in receivership since 2011 and under the leadership of a special master. L&M spokesman Michael O’Farrell says the special master will stay on through the closing date.