WARWICK, R.I. – The Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) today announced it has been awarded $1.54 million through the RI Department of Labor and Training’s RealJobs Rhode Island program and the Rhode Island Rural Health Transformation Program. The funding will empower CCRI to address the growing demand for qualified healthcare support professionals in the state’s rural communities.

The Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) is supported by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), to improve the health and healthcare services of rural Rhode Islanders. Rhode Island is working towards a connected, community-based system that ensures every rural resident has timely, coordinated, high-quality care where they live. This program will build lasting infrastructure that empowers communities to lead their own health transformation.

These awards will support the direct expansion of key academic and training programs to create a sustainable pipeline of highly trained, workforce-ready healthcare personnel.

The funding is distributed across 11 high-demand programs offered by CCRI:

• Respiratory Therapy
• Physical Therapist Assistant
• Sonography
• Medical Laboratory/Histotechnician
• Occupational Therapist Assistant
• CNA to LPN Bridge
• Phlebotomy
• Dental Hygiene
• Surgical Technology
• Nuclear Medicine
• Radiography

“Having a strong healthcare system in Rhode Island means investing in the people who power it,” said Governor Dan McKee. “My administration worked to secure this federal grant to expand healthcare training in communities across our state. This investment will help more Rhode Islanders get the skills they need to build careers in healthcare and help ensure our rural communities have the workforce they need.”

“This funding allows CCRI to do what we do best — build direct, practical pathways from the classroom into the healthcare jobs our state needs filled right now,” said Rosemary A. Costigan, Ph.D., RN, president of CCRI. “These eleven programs represent the backbone of rural healthcare delivery, from diagnostic imaging to direct patient care, and every new graduate is one more skilled professional ready to serve their community. I'm grateful to our partners at the Department of Labor and Training and the Rural Health Transformation Program for investing in CCRI's ability to meet this moment.”

"We are thrilled to continue our partnership with CCRI and support their efforts to expand critical healthcare training programs across Rhode Island’s rural communities," said Matthew Weldon, director of the RI Department of Labor and Training. This investment will help ensure a steady pipeline of highly skilled, workforce-ready healthcare professionals to meet the growing needs of our state. The Real Jobs RI program, together with the Rural Health Transformation Program, is making a real difference by empowering our residents, strengthening our healthcare infrastructure, and improving access to quality care for all Rhode Islanders."

“Rhode Island is paving the highway to future workforce with these healthcare training programs which will provide high-paying, in-demand careers, while also filling the pipeline of needed healthcare workers in rural areas of the state,” said Executive Office of Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary Ana Novais. “We know that CCRI and DLT are making an impactful shift in how healthcare is delivered to rural communities as we implement the full Rhode Island Rural Healthcare Transformation Program.”

Through this strategic investment, CCRI will provide enhanced program capacity, improved training resources, and retention-focused support for its students. These enhancements will help close workforce gaps that currently contribute to limited service availability, longer patient wait times, and reduced access to necessary medical care.

By developing a stronger and more robust healthcare workforce, this project will improve the continuity of care for patients and vastly expand access to diagnostic, rehabilitative, surgical, laboratory, and preventive services. Ultimately, the influx of newly trained professionals will support rural providers in delivering timely, high-quality care to the Rhode Islanders who need it most.

About the Rural Health Transformation Program
The federal Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP), established under H.R. 1 and administered by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, provides $50 billion nationally from 2026–2030 to improve rural healthcare access, quality, and sustainability. In December 2025, CMS awarded Rhode Island more than $156 million through the program. The state's application — developed by the Executive Office of Health and Human Services and the Department of Health's Office of Primary Care and Rural Health, with input from providers, municipal leaders, the Narragansett Indian Tribe, and rural residents statewide — targets five goals: improving rural residents' health, expanding access to care, strengthening the rural health workforce, advancing value-based care models, and integrating technology into rural practice.

About Real Jobs Rhode Island
Founded in 2015 by the Governor's Workforce Board, Real Jobs Rhode Island (RJRI) is a business-led workforce development initiative that works with a network of employers, training providers, and community organizations to build partnerships addressing industries' unique workforce challenges. RJRI funds and convenes industry employers, key stakeholders, and community groups in partnerships that build alliances to meet business workforce demands. These partnerships place new employees into job openings, upskill current employees, support business owners and entrepreneurs, and build talent pipelines for the future. The program is administered by the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training.

This project is supported by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $156,169,931.19 with 100 percent funded by CMS/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by CMS/HHS, or the U.S. Government.