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.

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.

Please join us for a great day of golf for a great cause! Our 14^th Annual Golf Benefit Tournament takes place at Warwick Country Club on Monday, July 19^th, 2021 with a 1:00 p.m. shotgun start.

By playing in or sponsoring our tournament, you will be supporting more than 60,000 patients who rely on our health centers for care every year.

Golf foursomes are reserved on a first-come, first-served basis. The event includes opportunities for corporate sponsorships, tee sponsorships, and prize donations.

Founded in 1924, Warwick Country Club features an 18-hole Donald Ross-designed par 69 classic seaside golf course. The layout measures around 6,500 yards from the back tees with views of Narragansett Bay from every hole on the scorecard.  

For foursome and sponsorship reservations, please contact Debra Spicuzza at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 401-780-2560.

Millie Diaz, Medical Front Desk Supervisor at our Chafee Health Center, is the first Providence Community Health Center employee to graduate from College Unbound. Millie took part in her college graduation ceremony via Zoom on February 27.

College Unbound is an innovative, degree-granting college focused on adults seeking a Bachelor of Arts degree. PCHC offers tuition reimbursement to employees enrolled in the program.

Millie was among the first group of PCHC employees enrolled in College Unbound in September 2019. She received her associate degree from CCRI in 2018 and was enrolled at URI when she learned about College Unbound and decided it was a better fit. It took her three semesters and some summer classes to complete her bachelor’s degree in Organizational Leadership and Change Studies.

“It was intimidating at first taking on full-time school with work and my personal responsibilities,” said Millie. “What helped immensely was the support I received from school and PCHC.”

Millie pursued her degree for the sense of personal reward. She is the second person on either side of her family to receive a bachelor’s degree. “I’ve always been held to high standards, even as a child, and I felt I needed a degree to meet those standards,” she said.

Millie joined PCHC in 2002 as a float patient services representative and held a number of positions before assuming her current role. Her ability to solve problems has led Health Center Director Michael Spoerri to refer to Millie as Chafee’s “Chief Solutions Officer.”

“I want other employees to know this is something they can accomplish,” she said. “It is an opportunity for both educational and personal growth. After College Unbound, I see things differently in terms of my professional life. I recognize things in my work that I didn’t before and I know my fellow students do the same.”

In collaboration with The Providence Community Health Centers, Tufts Health Plan is providing its Medicaid RITogether members with increased access to high-quality care. Members can now see providers from the State’s largest Federally Qualified Health Center. 

“Our goal is to provide high quality, holistic health care to Rhode Island Medicaid beneficiaries, and increased access to care is an integral part of contributing to the health and wellness of our members,” said Jean Yang, president of Public Plans at Tufts Health Plan. “The Providence Community Health Centers is not only known for its quality and member satisfaction, but also its culturally-competent care delivery.”

Tufts Health Plan’s RITogether members can access any of Providence Community Health Center’s eight locations.

“We appreciate Tufts Health Plan’s commitment to equality, inclusion and helping communities cope with the disproportionate effects of the pandemic and racial equity, which align closely with our work,” said Merrill Thomas, president and CEO, Providence Community Health Centers. “We are committed to serving all members of our community and are pleased to expand our services to more Rhode Islanders through our new relationship with Tufts Health Plan. Like Tufts Health Plan, we are committed to serving all residents, regardless of major financial, social, cultural, and language barriers.”

RITogether members who may have questions regarding their coverage should call Tufts Health Plan for more information, at 866-738-4116.

June Carrara, RN, has been working in pediatric nursing with the Providence Community Health Centers for 28 years. This means she has cared for newborns who decades later are in her care again as they deliver their own children. It is those relationships that June, the first-ever recipient of the PCHC President’s Award, values the most.

“Every day, I get to spend one-on-one time with new mothers and babies,” said June, who has been our Newborn Nurse Coordinator since 2003. “This quality time is not always the case for providers today so I’m excited to be one of the first people in the room to get the child and mother off to a good head start.”

June is a critical link between newborns, their families, Women & Infants Hospital, and PCHC. She delivers newborn education, records prenatal histories, and provides documentation in the medical record. June credits community health advocate Yohana Sosa for her everyday assistance with translation services, case management referrals, and other important support functions. June joined PCHC in 1993 as a pediatric nurse at our Allen Berry Health Center before being named Assistant Health Center Director. Today, it is in a patient room that she is most comfortable.

“It is important to be there to answer a question the parents may have about a newborn who is up most of the night fussing or just feeding frequently,” said June. “Parents are often sleep deprived and are looking for the right information about what is considered normal. I am there to offer reassurance that our team at PCHC is always a phone call away.”

The PCHC President’s Award was created to recognize employees who are exceptional in demonstrating our core values while serving as a role model for others. June was nominated by five co-workers, one of whom wrote: “There is no way we could do what we do with the large number of patients at Women & Infants without June.”

Congratulations to June on this well-deserved honor.

On January 8th, Providence Community Health Centers held a groundbreaking ceremony for its ninth health center -- PCHC Atwood. The new site, located at 31 Atwood Street, is scheduled to open in early 2022 and will include an Express Care department.

Merrill Thomas, President and CEO of PCHC, said the development of the new center was born from a board-led strategic plan and market assessment that identified Olneyville as the neighborhood with some of the worst health outcomes and data in Providence.

“This $15 million dollar investment in the community will not only provide space for 14,000 more patients, it will also create over 50 full time, sustainable paying jobs,” said Thomas. “More importantly, this investment will provide a medical home and allow us to better address the health that this neighborhood currently experiences.”

The event included remarks from elected officials and PCHC representatives pictured here: Sen. Jack Reed, Board President and Chairperson Elena Nicolella, Merrill Thomas, Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza, and Providence City Council Sabina Matos.

On December 29^th, the Providence Community Health Centers began administering its first doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to frontline workers from its health centers. The vaccine is not yet available at health centers for distribution to the public.

The initial shipment of the vaccine from the Rhode Island Department of Health includes 300 doses which are first being distributed to employees who are in closest contact with patients including members of the dental team, Express Care, and those who work in the COVID testing tent.

At 8:10 a.m. on December 29^th, dental hygienist Carleen Signore became the first PCHC employee to get the vaccine. Carleen, who has been with PCHC for 15 years, was excited to receive the vaccine. “While the process to approve the vaccine was fast-tracked, I feel confident knowing that clinical trials were successfully conducted to ensure safety and effectiveness,” said Carleen. “I will encourage my co-workers and patients to get the vaccine.”

Moderna’s two-dose vaccine has proven to be 94% effective in preventing COVID-19 infections. As more doses of the vaccine become available, PCHC will offer it to its more than 500 employees, utilizing a tiered approach where frontline workers are immunized first.

Providence Community Health Centers has been a statewide leader in responding to COVID, opening the Rhode Island’s first drive-through and walk-up testing sites in April 2020.

Dr. Nadine Hewamudalige has been named Medical Director for the Providence Community Health Centers, the state’s largest health center network.

She joined the organization in 2016 and most recently served as Physician Lead at PCHC’s Central Health Center.

As Medical Director, Dr. Hewamudalige’s responsibilities include guiding teams of physician site leaders, medical specialty chairpersons, and clinicians to ensure the delivery of high quality, safe, and effective healthcare. She will also focus on developing collaboration of clinicians across the PCHC network in the pursuit of excellence in clinical outcomes and patient access.

“In my years here, we have changed the way we provide primary care multiple times over to meet the changing needs of our patients and healthcare system,” said Dr. Hewamudalige. “We will continue to do so, always with an eye on delivering the best possible outcomes with a personal touch.”

“Dr H”, as she is known to many, is a graduate of the medical school at Ross University School of Medicine. She completed a family medicine residency at Penn State University Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, PA where she served as Chief Resident. Born and raised in Vancouver, Canada, she attended the University of British Columbia for her undergraduate studies.

“During her time with us, Dr. Hewamudalige has focused on improving quality metrics, teamwork, and collaboration, while advocating for and supporting providers and care teams,” said Dr. Andrew Saal, Chief Medical Officer at Providence Community Health Centers. “Now, she will help develop those priorities throughout our health centers during a time of transformation and growth.”