Lauria’s PCP residency proposal included in state budget

State House – Legislation sponsored by Sen. Pamela J. Lauria to support a primary care residency program in underserved communities has been incorporated into the 2026 state budget bill.

The budget provides $500,000 to Thundermist Health Center, a federally qualified community health center with facilities in Woonsocket, West Warwick and Wakefield, for its family medicine residency program.

The provision, which mirrors legislation Senator Lauria (D-Dist. 32, Barrington, Bristol, East Providence) introduced this session (2025-S 0339), was an amendment added to the budget by legislators before it passed the General Assembly last week.

The appropriation will fund four primary care residency positions, supporting services to underserved populations while simultaneously bolstering Rhode Island’s desperately needed primary care workforce.

“There are so many forces discouraging young doctors from choosing a career in primary care, and that is a significant driver of our state’s shortage of primary care providers. Supporting these residencies in family care will create more primary care training opportunities right here in Rhode Island, while also providing more Rhode Islanders with much-needed primary care services. Doctors often choose to work in the area where they have completed their residency, so this is an investment in our primary care workforce,” said Senator Lauria, who works as primary care nurse practitioner.