RI Dept. of Health Director Larkin shares insight on new Primary Care Training Sites Program

  • 19 Feb 2025
RI Dept. of Health Director Jerome Larkin, MD

During the 2024 General Assembly session, legislation was passed to enhance curriculum and clinical training to support and strengthen primary care. The Primary Care Training Sites Program was launched, investing $2.7 million to expand interdisciplinary clinical training at 30 advanced primary care sites, increasing training capacity by 50% for nurse practitioners, physician assistant students, and physician residents. By enhancing training opportunities, the program seeks to address the state’s primary care shortage and encourage future providers to remain in RI after licensure. The Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) has been charged with overseeing this important new initiative. We connected with Director Jerome Larkin for more insight on this effort.

1. Following the enabling legislation passed last General Assembly session, what steps has the Department taken to launch the Primary Care Training Sites Program?

Since the passage of the enabling legislation, RIDOH has taken several critical steps to design and implement the Primary Care Training Sites Program. These steps include hiring a program manager, developing regulations, establishing an application process, defining funding mechanisms to ensure transparency and equitable distribution of resources, and obtaining the necessary delegated authority to award grants directly to training sites. RIDOH has actively engaged stakeholders—including the Taskforce on Primary Care Workforce Development—to ensure the program aligns with workforce needs and that training sites maintain high standards for clinical education. The program will soon open for applications, with funding available to expand clinical training capacity across the state.

2. How do you anticipate this Program will uniquely help Rhode Island address the continued primary care crisis?

While an overarching goal of the program is to encourage trainees to remain in Rhode Island after completing their education, its immediate priority is to increase and enhance the state's clinical training capacity. By providing financial support to training sites, the program enables practices to implement funding models that help sustain their preceptors—the clinicians who train future doctors, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants—by allowing them to better balance teaching and direct patient care responsibilities.

Beyond increasing capacity, the program emphasizes training in the Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) model, which promotes team-based care, integrated behavioral health, and care coordination. This approach ensures that future healthcare professionals are equipped with the skills and knowledge needed to provide high-quality, patient-centered care.

3. What should primary care practices and care teams know about this new Program?

Primary care practices should know that this program provides financial support to help expand their capacity to train medical residents, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants. Participating sites will receive funding based on their anticipated enrollment of trainees, helping to offset the costs associated with clinical education. Since precepting can place additional demands on providers, the program offers flexibility in how sites utilize funding to best support their preceptors and maintain a sustainable training environment.