| R 347 |
| 2026 -- S 3057 Enacted 05/21/2026 |
| S E N A T E R E S O L U T I O N |
| CREATING A SPECIAL LEGISLATIVE COMMISSION TO MAKE A COMPREHENSIVE STUDY OF RHODE ISLAND'S HEALTHCARE WORKFORCE RELATED TO EDUCATING AND RETAINING PRIMARY CARE PROVIDERS |
Introduced By: Senators Lauria, Lawson, DiMario, Valverde, Murray, Vargas, DiPalma, Mack, Kallman, and Urso |
| Date Introduced: March 12, 2026 |
| WHEREAS, Nationally the demand for primary care providers continues to increase; |
| however, nearly one-third of Americans do not have a primary care provider; and |
| WHEREAS, Rhode Island residents are struggling to find primary care providers |
| resulting in the use of emergency rooms and urgent care facilities to meet their medical needs; |
| and |
| WHEREAS, Rhode Island has a limited medical education infrastructure which |
| contributes to low rates of provider retention; and |
| WHEREAS, Workforce retention challenges among primary care physicians, nurse |
| practitioners, and physician assistants in Rhode Island signal the importance of coordinated |
| investments in payment, team-based infrastructure, and opportunities for advancement; and |
| WHEREAS, Despite graduating one hundred and six primary care residents on average |
| in Rhode Island each year, only fifteen graduates plan to stay in state; and |
| WHEREAS, Rhode Island must look toward prioritizing primary care workforce |
| retention and graduate medical education programs for the next generation of primary care |
| residents; now, therefore be it |
| RESOLVED, That a special legislative commission be and the same is hereby created |
| consisting of seventeen (17) members: four (4) of whom shall be members of the Rhode Island |
| Senate, to be appointed by the President of the Senate; two (2) of whom shall be members of the |
| Rhode Island House of Representatives, to be appointed by the President of the Senate; one of |
| whom shall be the Dean of the University of Rhode Island School of Medicine, or designee; one |
| of whom shall be the Dean of the Brown University School of Medicine, or designee; one of |
| whom shall be the President of the Nurse Practitioner Alliance of Rhode Island; or designee; one |
| of whom shall be the President of the Rhode Island Academy of Physician Assistants, or |
| designee; one of whom shall be President of the Rhode Island Pharmacist Association, or |
| designee; one of whom shall be the Executive Director of the Rhode Island Medical Society; or |
| designee; one of whom shall be the Executive Director of the Care Transformation Collaborative |
| Rhode Island, or designee; one of whom shall be a representative from the community health |
| centers, to be appointed by the President of the Senate; one of whom shall be a representative of |
| community nonprofits, to be appointed by the President of the Senate; and two (2) of whom shall |
| be representatives of persons with community expertise in primary care, to be appointed by the |
| President of the Senate. |
| The purpose of said commission shall be to make a comprehensive study of Rhode |
| Island’s healthcare workforce related to educating and retaining primary care providers, |
| including, but not limited to: |
| • Studying and developing recommendations for establishing and financing sufficient |
| primary care graduate medical education resources in the state, leveraging the state’s well- |
| established community health center network; |
| • An annual report on Rhode Islanders’ access to a usual source of care, the number |
| and distribution of primary care clinicians practicing in the state, the numbers entering and |
| leaving practice in the state, and recommendations to ensure all Rhode Islanders report having |
| access to a usual source of care; and |
| • An annual report on the status of Rhode Island’s primary care institutional and |
| clinical education resources and the programs supporting these students financially. |
| Forthwith upon passage of this resolution, the members of the commission shall be |
| appointed and shall meet at the call of the Senate President and organize and the Senate President |
| shall appoint a chair. |
| Vacancies in said commission shall be filled in like manner as the original appointment. |
| The membership of said commission shall receive no compensation for their services. |
| All departments and agencies of the state shall furnish such advice and information, |
| documentary and otherwise, to said commission and its agents as is deemed necessary or |
| desirable by the commission to facilitate the purposes of this resolution. |
| The Commission may be allotted annual budget resources to complete these functions. |
| The Joint Committee on Legislative Services is hereby authorized and directed to provide |
| suitable quarters for said commission; and be it further |
| RESOLVED, That the commission shall develop and be ongoing with recommendations |
| submitted annually to the President of the Senate. |
| ======== |
| LC005397 |
| ======== |