PROVIDENCE — Oh bla di, oh bla da, life goes on, as the Beatles once sang half a century ago. Despite the best efforts by the Trump administration to stir up a crisis of law and order on the streets of American cities, the real evolution can still happen in Rhode Island when it comes to health innovation and research.

It will not be the burning of the Gaspee or a Daniel Shays Rebellion by western Massachusetts farmers. But the work by CODAC to create a new model for the medical home; the ongoing research at Butler Hospital to create wearable devices to treat depression and migraines; and the saliva swabs and rapid genomic testing of newborns at Women & Infants Hospital all point to the fact that investing in the future of Rhode Island serving as a regional proving ground for research and innovation has merit and potential.

What is missing is the willingness by the General Assembly – and the CEOs at health delivery systems – to invest in the caregivers – the nurses, the technicians, and the assistants – who make the delivery system run.

Given all the shade and darkness being projected by Trump and Musk, aptly described by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as “the girls are fighting,” there is a need to look to the sunny side of the street and offer up positive vibrations.

This week, the General Assembly will begin its budget deliberations on the FY 2026 spending bill. It promises to be a place where the rank-and-file may finally rise up and increase Medicaid rates for primary care providers as well as to enact further gun safety legislation.

A political tip: Watch to see how legislation to regulate prior authorization by insurers fares. Also, keep a tally on the nine bills offered up as priorities by the late Senate President Ruggerio and his leadership team. “Our focus on three general areas of health are – primary care and providers, pharmacies and prescriptions, and patients and families – represents the holistic, inclusive approach we are taking,” the Senate President told ConvergenceRI shortly before his untimely death. [See link below to ConvergenceRI story, “Senate moves ahead in 2025 with major focus on health care.”]

In turn, efforts by Attorney General Peter Neronha to force legislators to take immediate action to address the health care crisis seems likely to bear fruit, despite fiscal constraints. [See link below to ConvergenceRI story, “Skewed and screwed: The AG’s health plan offers a pathway forward.”]

What are the positive signs? One is the apparent desperate reaction with which WJAR-TV questioned the AG’s efforts to fund $10 million in dental care for children in Rhode Island, as the Sinclair-owned news channel served as a willing mouthpiece for Republican nay-sayers.

Another positive sign: The House of Representatives voted further state regulations in the Assault Weapons Ban Act. The measure now heads to the Senate.

0ne national story that has not gained much traction here in Rhode Island is how residents in a neighborhood in San Diego battled back in a nonviolent confrontation, resisting the provocations after ICE attempted to disrupt a well-known Italian restaurant in the city’s Balboa Park.

Also, the regular legal push back against Trump’s illegal actions continues in the courtrooms across the nation.

Positive vibrations.  
It is harder and harder to stay abreast of all the news streams that compete for our attention within our individual airtime when our own personal schedules always seem so busy.

The stories we share often seem like scripted haiku, with a shortness of lines and a rigor of syllables, without an opportunity to dive deeper into the meaning of important things in our daily lives.

It is so easy to get angry and distracted. What does it mean to be kept on hold to schedule an appointment with a specialist for nearly an hour, before finally getting through? The goal is not to take things personally, recognizing that most systems are stressed right now. Rather than saying it is a sign that the system is breaking down, view it as a testament that people are trying to make it work in these stressful times.