Rhode Island’s largest hospital system has suspended all “non-essential” surgical procedures to free up inpatient beds and staff as COVID-19 cases spike. Lifespan last week temporarily suspended outpatient and same-day surgeries – which can include operations for cancer, heart disease and other serious conditions – at Rhode Island Hospital. The Miriam and Newport hospitals suspended […]
Lynn Arditi
Lynn joined The Public's Radio as health reporter in 2017 after more than three decades as a journalist, including 28 years at The Providence Journal. Her series "A 911 Emergency," a project of the 2019 ProPublica Local Reporting Network, won the Scripps Howard National Journalism Award in the radio/podcast category in 2020.
A native of New York City, she graduated from Oberlin College and landed her first journalism job at The Center for Investigative Reporting (now known as Reveal) in Washington, D.C., where she did story development for 60 Minutes. When the T.V. market imploded in 1987, the D.C. office of CIR closed and within a year she moved to Massachusetts to take a reporting job at the former Holyoke Transcript-Telegram, a small daily newspaper.
A year later, she moved to Providence, R.I. to work at The Providence Journal. There, she worked for several years as a bureau reporter covering schools and local issues, before she began covering statewide beats including higher education, the economy, housing and health care. During those years, she also honed her skills in narrative journalism, and served as chairwoman of the newspaper’s writing committee. Her work has been recognized by New England Associated Press News Executives Association and the Society of American Business Editors & Writers.
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Eleanor Slater Hospital regains accreditation, Medicaid eligibility uncertain
Eleanor Slater Hospital has regained its full accreditation though its eligibility to collect federal Medicaid reimbursements remains uncertain. The accreditation of the state-run system follows three separate unannounced surveys by the national nonprofit standard-setting body in July and August, The Joint Commission wrote to Slater’s chief executive officer, Richard Charest, in a Dec. 21 letter […]
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McKee orders indoor masking, proof of COVID-19 vaccinations starting Monday
Rhode Island is requiring that everyone, regardless of vaccination status, wear masks inside public spaces with a capacity of 250 people or more starting Monday. Restaurants, retailers, places of worship and other establishments with a capacity of under 250 people can allow patrons to go unmasked, if they show proof that they have been vaccinated […]
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First case of Omicron variant to COVID-19 identified in Rhode Island
The first case of COVID-19 caused by the Omicron variant has been identified in Rhode Island. The individual is a Providence County resident in their 20s who had recently returned from traveling in New York, Governor Daniel J. McKee and state health officials said in a statement Saturday. The individual had completed a primary vaccination […]
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Rhode Island hospital officials, physicians group call for indoor mask mandate
The recent rise in COVID-19 cases in Rhode Island prompted the state’s largest hospital group and a physicians organization this week to call for a mandatory indoor mask mandate, a measure that Governor Daniel J. McKee has so far expressed reluctance to impose. Lifespan, which operates five hospitals including Rhode Island Hospital, the state’s only […]
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Attorney General: Rhode Island’s health care system needs more than a one-deal solution
Public hearings are expected to begin in January on the proposed merger of Rhode Island’s two largest health care systems: Lifespan and Care New England. Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Neronha notified the companies earlier this month that their merger application was complete. Now, his office and the state Department of Health have until […]
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R.I. preparing to vaccinate children as young as 5
Rhode Island health officials are preparing to begin vaccinating children ages 5 to 11 against COVID-19 as early as Nov. 8. The state is placing orders for the kid-sized doses of the Pfizer vaccine in anticipation of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) meeting next week to consider their approval, said Alysia […]
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A Rhode Island pediatrician weighs in on vaccinating kids against COVID-19
Rhode Island may begin vaccinating children as young as age 5 against COVID-19 as early as Nov. 8. Dr. Elizabeth Lange, a pediatrician and former president of the Rhode Island chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, spoke with Health Reporter Lynn Arditi about vaccinating children. If a parent asks you how to weigh the […]
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Another top doctor resigns from Eleanor Slater Hospital
The chief of medical services at Eleanor Slater Hospital has resigned, charging administrators of the state-run facility with prioritizing billing over medical necessity when deciding who is hospitalized. Dr. Andrew C. Stone, who has publicly testified about his concerns before state lawmakers, said that rather than working towards meeting the needs of patients “the direction of the […]
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R.I. mandate for health care workers drives up vaccination rates but 92 facilities still shy of 100% compliance
Rhode Island health care workers must now be vaccinated against COVID-19 or lose their jobs. By the Oct. 1 deadline, the overwhelming majority of those workers had decided to get vaccinated. “I kind of have to get it for work, so (it’s) not really an option,” said Emma Landroche, 22, a nursing assistant, as she […]
