A May 20th groundbreaking ceremony at our Capitol Hill Health Center marked the kickoff of renovations that will allow us to care for another 4,000 patients. At the event, Merrill Thomas, President and CEO, shared his thoughts on what expanded medical services will mean for the community. He also discussed the legacy of the late Dr. John Moran, a pediatrician who joined PCHC in 1973 as our first full-time physician and spent much of his career at Capitol. A dedication ceremony will take place later this year in memory of Dr. Moran.

A number of Dr. Moran’s friends and relatives were in attendance at the ceremony including his sisters Patricia Moran Bombardier and Mary Moran. They are pictured in the groundbreaking photo along with Merrill Thomas, Capitol Hill’s longest serving employee Alex Balon, Health Center director Patricia Terceira, and Dr. Beth Toolan. The new space will add 3,616 square feet to the already existing 8,649 square feet of clinic space and will provide 10 exam rooms (including a negative pressure room with direct access to the outside), a waiting room, team space, a provider room, and restrooms. Renovations are expected to be completed by December 2021.

After 13 months and nearly 10,000 COVID tests, Providence Community Health Centers has wound down opera­tions of the state’s first drive through and walk up COVID testing site. With dozens of locations around the state providing testing, PCHC can now fully focus on vaccinating people in the community.

On May 5th, the testing site’s final day, Dr. Jennifer Hosmer shared about what the experience has meant for the community as well as her colleagues.

This is the first in a new 90 second video series called "PCHC in 90" detailing the people and programs of Providence Community Health Centers.

For the 6th year in a row, Providence Community Health Center has been named one of Rhode Island’s “Best Places to Work” by the Providence Business News. This award is a reflection of our team’s commitment to our mission and dedication to our patients, their families, and each other. The honorees that receive this award are judged based on completed confidential surveys of employees and the organization’s human resources policies. With more than 500 employees, PCHC was recognized in the “Enterprise Employer” category along with some of the largest companies in the state.

PCHC will be honored at a virtual ceremony on June 9th and will be profiled along with the other awardees in a special section in the June 11th print issue of Providence Business News. While the past year has brought unprecedented challenges, our team responded the way we knew they would: with a focus on providing the community with the best care possible. Thank you to our staff for everything you do to make PCHC one of our state’s best places to work!

Breastfeeding has many proven benefits for both the newborn baby and mother. Providence Community Health Centers is now offering lactation health support provided by Kristen Hylan, MSN, FNP-BC, who is an International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant.

Kristen, who is Assistant Director of our Nurse Practitioner Residency program, is excited to help new parents with challenges related to breastfeeding. Lactation consultants can improve the outcome of breastfeeding and lactation care through education and management. They can help new mothers with nearly every conceivable aspect of breastfeeding.

“I like to focus on the parent’s breastfeeding goals,” said Kristen. “This could include a myriad of lactation-related issues like latch problems, tongue ties, poor weight gain, breast pain, low milk supply or over supply, mastitis, thrush, and candidiasis of the breast.”

Kristen is pictured at the top left performing a suckle evaluation on baby Noellie. This is used to determine the newborn’s coordination of tongue, lips, pallet swallow, and suction. The evaluation gives practitioners like Kristen helpful information about a baby’s ability to transfer milk from breast to mouth. 

Any of our patients who think they can benefit from lactation health support can ask their provider for a referral to see Kristen.