The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine boosters are now available in Rhode Island for people ages 65 and older, those with underlying medical conditions, and residents of long-term care facilities, state officials announced Friday. Roughly 130,000 Rhode Islanders may be eligible for the Pfizer boosters, and demand for vaccinations is expected to be higher for the next […]
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.
Posted inArticle, Health
A new anxiety for vaccinated Rhode Islanders: breakthrough infections
Even if you’re fully vaccinated against COVID-19, it’s hard not to feel nervous when you hear about so-called breakthrough infections. And since the arrival of the more contagious Delta variant, we’re hearing more reports of fully-vaccinated people in Rhode Island and other states with high vaccination rates testing positive for the coronavirus. Brown University last […]
Posted inArticle, Health
Eleanor Slater expected to recoup millions in lost Medicaid funding
Rhode Island is expected to recoup tens of millions of dollars in lost Medicaid funding after a review of billing practices at Eleanor Slater Hospital, but the hospital remains out of compliance with federal Medicaid rules, according to a report released Wednesday. The state-run hospital was in compliance with Medicaid rules on the first days […]
Posted inArticle, Health
Eleanor Slater Hospital accreditation status improves
Eleanor Slater Hospital has moved one step closer to regaining its full accreditation. The troubled state-run hospital’s status has been updated to accreditation pending a follow-up survey in about six months, according to a recent letter to the hospital’s state regulator from The Joint Commission, a national nonprofit that accredits hospitals. The latest decision places […]
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FDA gives full approval to Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. gave full approval to Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine Monday, a milestone that could lift public confidence in the shots and spur more companies, universities and local governments to make vaccinations mandatory. The Pentagon immediately announced it will press ahead with plans to require members of the military to get the vaccine. […]
Posted inArticle, Environment
Henri leaves thousands without power in Rhode Island: Latest updates
Nearly 36,000 National Grid customers still affected by power outages in Washington County, by far the most in the state. The outages are most widespread in Charlestown and Narragansett, where about 5,600 and 9,300 customers are affected in both towns, respectively.
Posted inArticle, Health
R.I. will mandate vaccinations for nursing home staff and other health care workers
Rhode Island will require all employees of nursing homes, hospitals and other state-licensed health care facilities to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Oct. 1., Gov. Daniel J. McKee said Tuesday. Until then, workers at those facilities who are not fully vaccinated will have to be tested twice weekly, McKee said, in addition to complying […]
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Who’s most at risk with the Delta variant in Rhode Island? Hint: It’s a 200,000 person question
It’s been more than a week since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new recommendations that everyone, even people who are fully vaccinated, start wearing masks indoors again and in places with high COVID-19 transmission rates, which includes Rhode Island. Amid rising anxiety among public health experts nationwide about the fast-spreading Delta variant, […]
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Eleanor Slater Hospital’s former top doctor casts doubt on state-commissioned report
The newly departed chief medical officer of Eleanor Slater Hospital says a state-commissioned review of the facility is riddled with errors and suggests “bias or undue influence” on the part of the investigators. Dr. Brian P. Daly, a forensic psychiatrist who resigned from his job on July 31, released a 16-page letter critiquing a recent […]
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Working in a Rhode Island hospital does not require a COVID-19 vaccination – yet
Rhode Island’s major hospital systems are continuing to encourage – but not mandate – vaccinations against COVID-19 for its employees. But that could change in the wake of rising infections driven by the spread of the more contagious Delta variant and growing pressure from health professional associations recommending mandatory vaccinations for health care workers to […]
