Care New England is cutting more than 30 leadership and non-clinical positions to address a projected $20 million budget deficit for fiscal year 2026. The announcement comes as hospitals nationwide face financial pressures from federal Medicaid funding changes and policy overhauls. CEO Dr Michael Wagner cited uncompetitive state reimbursement rates compared with neighbouring states as factors hindering staff recruitment and retention. The health system, Rhode Island's second-largest hospital operator, employs over 8,000 people across Butler, Kent and Women & Infants hospitals. Care New England has faced ongoing financial challenges, exacerbated during the pandemic. A proposed 2022 merger with competitor Lifespan was blocked by regulators on anti-trust grounds. The company spent more than $10.8 million on executive compensation in fiscal 2024.

PROVIDENCE, R.I., Sept. 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On Thursday, September 21st, leading scientists, researchers and advocates from across the region come together to discuss the latest advances in Alzheimer's disease research and treatment, and how Rhode Island is playing a leading role in the battle against the disease.Presented on World Alzheimer's Day, David Shenk , Brown alumnus ('88), journalist and author of The Forgetting, Alzheimer's: Portrait of an Epidemic, facilitates this discussion with:Jessica Alber , Ph.D, assistant professor of biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences and Ryan Research Assistant Professor of Neuroscience at the University of Rhode Island ., Ph.D, assistant professor of biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences and Ryan Research Assistant Professor of Neuroscience at the . Maritza Ciliberto , member of the National Institutes of Health's National Advisory Council on Aging, AD care partner/research advocate and participant., member of the National Institutes of Health's National Advisory Council on Aging, AD care partner/research advocate and participant. Edward (Ted) Huey , M.D, Director of the Memory and Aging Program at Butler Hospital, affiliate of The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at Brown University ., M.D, Director of the Memory and Aging Program at Butler Hospital, affiliate of The Warren Alpert Medical School of and professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at . Gregorio Valdez , Ph.D, GLF Translational Associate Professor of molecular biology, cell biology and biochemistry at Brown University ."Rhode Island's close-knit community of scientists, researchers and institutions helps foster an uncommon spirit of cooperation and connection," said Brown University President Christina H. Paxson