Delivery of Care/Opinion
The forecast: “Dark, continued dark overnight, with widely scattered light by dawn…”
Do you miss the reporting truths of comedian George Carlin, in his role as the Hippy Dippy weatherman? I do; his forecasts still ring so true today.
Photo by Mike Cohea, published with permission
The landscape of the Providence skyline and the new pedestrian bridge, now open to pedestrians, speaks to the promise of the Creative Capital, and the transformation of what had been a highway intersection.
Photo by Richard Asinof
The view from the sixth floor of the Wexford Innovation Complex, taken in May of 2018, when the building was under construction, and the future dreams of Providence serving as a regional innovation hub was a gleam in developers’ eyes.
Photo
By Richard Asinof
Posted 10/2/26
The state of Rhode Island will soon be faced with all-encompassing health care crises, with choices to be made around how best to invest state dollars, if the two safety-net hospitals go bankrupt again and the state needs to step up to the plate, while Brown Health appears ready to sit on the sidelines rather than choose to intervene.
When will “Behind the Story” convene a gathering of health care reporters to explore the state’s future health care options? What are the future costs of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease health care costs estimated to be incurred by Rhode Island residents in the next five years? What role will community health centers play when the current health care delivery system falls apart? What does the future of the RI Life Science Hub portend for the future real estate values of downtown Providence?
Every day my phone is flooded with calls from data centers asking me to go invest in home repairs, new funeral plans, expensive roof repairs, auto insurance, and the list goes on and on.
One such call center said it was located in Cleveland, Ohio; none were located in Rhode Island. The scripts that are followed by the callers seemed quite elaborate but filled with vacant promises. “Hi, this is Grace….”
Is there a state of “grace” that occurs in Rhode Island to ensure that those of us who are elderly be kept safe from marauding phone calling marketers? What is the best way to stop the flood of these calls?
One such call center said it was located in Cleveland, Ohio; none were located in Rhode Island. The scripts that are followed by the callers seemed quite elaborate but filled with vacant promises. “Hi, this is Grace….”
Is there a state of “grace” that occurs in Rhode Island to ensure that those of us who are elderly be kept safe from marauding phone calling marketers? What is the best way to stop the flood of these calls?
PROVIDENCE — As a reporter and as a citizen journalist, I admit: I no longer desire to play at the “news game” anymore. It is not about breaking a news story or catching a politician in a lie. To what purpose? The thrill is gone.
As someone who has spent much of my working life asking questions, seeking answers, and then fashioning stories, I confess: These days I have lost much of my faith in the Fourth Estate to actually get the story right.
Perhaps, it is because of all the repeated lies and falsehoods being told by President Trump and members of his administration — with most of the news media failing to call them out as lies. The pointing of Trump's finger, mostly at women reporters, and charging them with putting out “fake news,” makes it difficult to discern what is happening. When will the reporters respond by pointing their own fingers at the President and in unison declare: “J’accuse! Fake news!”
Reporting on health care has become particularly frustrating for me, given the continuing distortions and because of my own numerous close encounters with health care providers. (Editor’s Note: While I can take some comfort when a colleague calls my reporting a “moral arbiter” for Rhode Island, the lack of understanding of the challenges we are currently facing in the future of health care delivery are frustrating. I see nothing but “big trouble” ahead on our doorsteps.)
Do you, like me, find it difficult to try to watch or to listen to the daily slapstick comedy routines now being performed as news broadcasts?
For me, the question emerges: How do you measure the value of more than five decades of storytelling?
Translated, I would like to believe that my journalism still has great value, particularly for the disrupted world we are living in.
The art of the steal
There are dark storm clouds — major crises — swirling about the future horizon of health care delivery in Rhode Island.
They include the unraveling of the Centurion buyout of two Rhode Island safety-net hospitals, the steep decline of competent workforces at hospitals and nursing homes across the state, and the threat of a new wave of COVID infections sweeping the region.
• The state-sanctioned deal to allow Centurion, a not-for-profit based in Atlanta, Georgia, to take over ownership of two bankrupt, safety-net hospitals, Our Lady of Fatima and Roger Williams Medical Center, seems to be quickly unraveling.
The deal was concluded in early March of 2026, six months ago, allowing the bankrupt hospitals to exit from the jurisdiction of the federal bankruptcy court in Dallas. The state of Rhode Island, in turn, promised to backstop the deal, for some $18 million.
Centurion had taken over the ownership of the bankrupt two hospitals from its former private equity owners, Prospect Medical Holdings, which had successfully run the hospitals into the financial ground while looting their assets.
But the new owners are apparently renegging on promised financial commitments related to, among other things, the continued operations of the home services division of the former safety-net hospitals, according to union officials.
At an informational picket line held two weeks ago in front of Our Lady of Fatima, Lynn Blais, RN, President of the United Nurses and Allied Professionals, described the current dilemma: the new owners plan to shut down the hospital’s home health division. “The fact is, Centurion received state money because it assured state leaders it would properly invest in these facilities,” Blais said, as reported by Steve Ahlquist.
The expectation, Blais continued, based on Centurion’s own words “is that they would not only invest in home health, but also conduct ‘significant outreach to the community in its first year to promote access to home health services.’ We will not sit quietly while Centurion tries to pull the wool over the eyes of Rhode Islanders.”
In response, RI AG Peter Neronha issued a demand letter to Centurion, ordering the company to resubmit its strategic plan by Friday, Oct. 2. The demand letter was delivered on late Friday afternoon, Sept. 25.
The brouhaha has enabled Ken Block, independent candidate for Governor, to attempt to make the snafu at the Centurion-owned hospitals a major campaign issue, blaming the state. (The question to ask: Why was Block’s voice missing during the previous two years preceding the deal?) The problem with Block’s criticism, of course, is that it lacks substance and a clear understanding of what exactly occurred. Block should try to talk with the AG’s legal team before making any more inaccurate political claims, in ConvergenceRI’s opinion.
As AG Neronha wrote in his Sept. 25 demand letter: “Condition 17 of the Decision requires the New CharterCARE System to engage a Turnaround Consultant to ‘evaluate the financial condition, strategic planning, governance materials and current operations of the New CharterCARE System and subsequently develop and implement a strategy to improve operations, stem operational losses, ensure appropriate investment in capital needs, and improve access to safe, high-quality care.’
AG Neronha’s letter continued: “Condition 17(c) of the Decision requires that ‘[t]he Strategic Plan and Governance Review shall be submitted to the Attorney General for review and approval prior to its implementation, which review and approval shall not take more than thirty (30) days.’ Counsel for the New CharterCARE System submitted a draft “5 Year Strategic Plan” to this Office on Sept. 15, 2026, subject to Board approval.”
AG Neronha’s letter then identified the flaws in Centurion’s takeover plan: “The ‘5 Year Strategic Plan’ submitted to this Office on Sept. 15, 2026, in our view, relies on unrealistic and unsupported assumptions regarding the successful implementation of initiatives.” (Editor’s Note: Specific business details were redacted by AG Neronha’s legal team.)
AG Neronha’s letter continued: “…Because Management’s Strategic Plan does not address or incorporate the Turnaround Consultant’s evaluation and recommendations to safeguard the near-term financial viability of the CharterCARE hospitals, it is not and will not be approved by this office. Please re-submit a Strategic Plan by no later than Friday, October 2, 2026, that addresses, incorporates, and carries out the Turnaround Consultant’s evaluation and recommendations, including a short-term plan to immediately stem losses and ensure continuity of operations over the next three, six and twelve months.”
Translated, the new owners of the two safety net hospitals have been given a strict deadline to make good on their financial promises in a new version of their strategic plan. If not, what happens next? A state takeover? How will the newly elected Attorney General respond to the challenges of this case? Do not look to Brown Health to rush in and play the hero.
In sickness and in health
The latest financial news emanating from the boardroom at Brown University Health, the state’s largest private business employer, with more than 20,000 employees, is disheartening.
Brown Health announced plans to rid itself of a number of executive level jobs to attempt to eliminate its debt, according to WPRI’s Ted Nesi. Last year’s operating debt was said to be $13 million.
The causes of the shortfall in revenue were blamed on “a rise in insurance denials, bad debt and charity care,” Nesi reported Brown Health as saying.
A similar move to cut executives by Care New England, the second largest hospital system in Rhode Island, occurred two months ago.
Reports from the front lines of health care workers within the Brown Health family report a lot of disgruntled employees.
A number of employees were allegedly fired by Brown Health for unauthorized searches of its new Epic data system, creating a difficult, unhealthy workplace environment.
There are also reports that there is a shortage of competent, qualified nurses staffing Brown Health facilities, according to several sources. What ever happened to “wow” care?
The recent picket lines held on Friday, Oct. 2, challenged Brown Health to return to the negotiating table to arrive at a new contract for the 700 resident physicians, Rhode Island's first unionized doctors, according to Steve Ahlquist's reporting. Both sides are now reported to be set to resume negotiations on Tuesday, Oct. 6.
“It gives me such joy to see us all here, united for one reason,” said Dr. Dr. Jason Hu, as reported by Steve Ahlquist. “We’re fighting the greedy corporation known as Brown University Health. I’m one of the triple board residents here, which means I’m currently working as a pediatrician, helping parents figure out how to use car seats, how to get their kids to bed on time, and all those things. I help children navigate new and complex diagnoses and make sure they are taking care of themselves. In all of these aspects, it’s truly a blessing to care for patients in their most vulnerable times. It’s what I’ve dreamed of doing."
A new wave of COVID infections?
The last thing that Brown Health appears to want is to takeover the two financially troubled hospitals, Our Lady of Fatima and Roger Williams Medical Center, because of the ongoing difficulties in squeezing profits out of the hospital enterprises it controls.
With the change in seasons, patients seeking care in the region’s emergency rooms report that there is a new wave of COVID infections now surfacing in New England.
Everywhere there seems to be a return of sniffles, sneezes, wheezes and coughing, particularly after four days of heavy rainfall.
All signs, including the latest increases in health insurance rates approved by OHIC, point to increased financial jeopardy for hospital systems and patients alike. The lack of a comprehensive discussion of the pending health care crises as part of the 2026 gubernatorial campaign means that the new Governor, likely to be Helena Foulkes, will be faced with the need to take immediate action, not unlike the challenge facing newly elected Gov. Sundlin back in 1990 when the Rhode Island Credit Union went belly up. Why aren’t reporters talking about what happened then?
There is a glimmer of hope that plans for a state health option, researched by the legal team of outgoing AG Peter Neronha, will be released and then endorsed by state leaders, providing a pathway toward a common-sense future health platform for Rhode Island. The question is: How much political strength will a lame duck elected official hold sway to push for approval of such a plan?
There is also a reported move afoot with South County Health joining forces with the Minnesota-based Mayo Clinic as a clinical partner for care delivery. How will that change the health care delivery landscape?
A light in the forest
Two developments on the state’s research and biotech front hold distinct promises of good news in the coming year. First, here is the latest news from biotech researcher and entrepreneur Stevin Zorn:
“Velatrope Therapeutics, a new RI-based company, is building next-generation targeted immune-modulatory nanoparticle therapeutics designed to reach the disease-driving cells that conventional CNS therapeutics struggle to address. Growing evidence places immune dysfunction at the center of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. Our platform capitalizes on this emerging biology by combining precision immune cell targeting with flexible delivery of oligonucleotide and protein payloads, creating the potential to reprogram pathological myeloid and astrocyte immune responses that drive neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration leading to cognitive decline.
Zorn continued: Why Velatrope? Why now? Advances in human genetics, single-cell biology, and RNA therapeutics are revealing previously inaccessible pathological immune pathways contributing to neurological disease progression. Yet delivering the right therapeutic payload to the right immune cells -- within the brain or in the periphery -- remains a fundamental barrier."
According to Zorn, Velateooe Therapeutics was created to bridge that gap, translating rapidly emerging biological insights into precisely targeted, multi-modal medicines with the potential to change the course of devastating brain diseases."
Second, there is promising news from biotech entrepreneur Dr. Annie De Groot, who is developing a new platform for individual cancer vaccines with her patented ANCER platform.
In her most recent newsletter, De Groot wrote: “I was today (days old) when I realized that Amazon (yes, that Amazon) launched a personalized cancer vaccine effort using AI tools. Wow.”
She continued: “Despite vast computing power and deep pockets, the early results look much like those of previous Neon and BioNTech studies, which disappointed. As I wrote last month, the Moderna/Merck study (which combined PCV with immune modulators) is much more encouraging.”
De Groot, the current President of EVA Therapeutics and the former CEO of EouVax, one of Rhode Island's pioneering biotech firms, asked: “Could the lackluster performance of a more recent BioNTech trial and Amazon’s study be attributed to delivering potentially tolerogenic epitopes? We have shown that screening these epitopes out improves the prediction of patient survival, and Ancer (De Groot’s platform) applies that filter to every personalized cancer design.”
De Groot continues: “Biotechnology offers two paths for those of us in the field. One is familiar: compete at any cost, maximize profit, borrow freely from others' work without credit, and step over anyone who is in the way. This approach leaves a great many people by the side of the road, especially where the need is greatest and the budgets are smallest. The other path a biotechnology company can choose is to celebrate good science, follow inspiration where it leads, keep innovating, and make those innovations accessible, even to those who cannot pay full price.”
De Groot explains her motivation: “I learned from my dairy farmer grandfather about treating people fairly and about humane treatment of animals. Like many of you, if I encounter a traveler left by the side of the road, I will stop to help. We want to make the world a better place for everyone, and everything.”
Stay tuned!
