Departments of Health, State

Trainings
State wide youth led conference with national speakers

• Focus on social and emotional health learning areas, by introducing programming that will serve as ongoing foundations of knowledge and skill building.
• Provide a conference design that includes participatory pre-work to inform event-day programming and tailor activities to individualized abilities.
• Engage 500 youth with special healthcare needs and diverse learners by providing a fun, rich learning experience and creating leadership frameworks participants can pull from before, during, and after the conference.

Dare to Dream (D2D) is a learning pathway for youth with special healthcare needs and diverse learners in grade 8 to age 21. The D2D Initiative focuses on creating and providing resources and activities to assist youth in developing and leading healthy lives as they move through transitional periods.

The Rhode Island Department of Health, in collaboration with State partners including the Office of Rehabilitation Services and Rhode Island Department of Education, have held an annual D2D youth leadership conference for more than ten years.

Many people may need extra help during a time of emergency, including people who:

• Use life support systems such as oxygen, respirator, ventilator, dialysis, pacemaker, or who have chronic conditions and require treatment (e.g., diabetics requiring insulin);
• Have mobility needs and use a wheelchair, scooter, walker, cane, or other mobility device;
• Are visually impaired, blind, hard of hearing, or Deaf;
• Have speech, cognitive, developmental or behavioral health disabilities; or
• Use assistive animals or a prosthesis.

The information submitted to the Rhode Island Special Needs Emergency Registry is shared with local and state first responders and emergency management officials. Your information is held confidentially and only accessed to assist in your safety and well-being. 

The Department of Health and Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency have worked with E-911 to notify first responders when they are responding to a household that may have someone enrolled in the Registry. While enrolling in the special needs registry does not guarantee assistance, this notification allows first responders additional time to consider how to best respond to that incident.

Enrolling in the Special Needs Emergency Registry lets police, fire, and other first responders in your community better prepare for and respond to your needs during a hurricane, storm, or other emergency.

Information on Covid-19 

• Testing
• Treatment
• Vaccination sites and Vaccine Records
• Prevention 
• Healthcare Professionals

Birth Defects Program: Identify and monitor birth defects.

Newborn Hearing Screening Program: Screen and evaluate newborns for early hearing loss. If early hearing loss is detected, referral to services in the community and education and resources are provided.

Newborn Screening and Follow Up: Screen all newborns in Rhode Island for several kinds of disorders such as metabolic, endocrine, hemoglobin, hearing, developmental disorders and more for early identification and treatment to prevent death and disability. 

The Newborn Screening and Follow-Up Program works to screen all newborns in Rhode Island for metabolic, endocrine, hemoglobin, hearing, and developmental risk factors to identify risks at the earliest possible point.