State Of Rhode Island Department Of Health

State Of Rhode Island Department Of Health, a state government health agency headquartered in Providence, operates as a recipient of federal grants across public health, nutrition, environmental health, and disease prevention programs. RIDOH delivers regulatory oversight, surveillance, prevention services, and direct health interventions across Rhode Island and, where specified, provides administrative infrastructure supporting statewide program delivery. The agency competes for grants (not federal contracts) from HHS agencies, EPA, DOL, and others on a full-and-open basis—no set-asides apply to state government entities.

RIDOH's federal footprint is dominated by formula grants and cooperative agreements from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (95 awards), the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (50 awards), EPA Region 1 (40 awards), and the Health Resources and Services Administration (30 awards in one category, 25 in another), accounting for 47% of the agency's 507 recent awards. The agency also holds two small federal contracts: a $8,754 CDC purchase order (awarded July 2025, completing May 2026) to maintain and operate the National Death Index for Rhode Island, and a $298,944 FDA definitive contract (awarded August 2023, completing February 2027) to deliver human food regulatory and inspection services. The vast majority of RIDOH's federal engagement, however, flows through grants rather than contracts.

Representative grant work spans public health infrastructure, nutrition assistance, and environmental protection. RIDOH receives a $2.49 million Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant (CFDA 93.994, HRSA, October 2025–September 2027) to coordinate systems of care for mothers, children, and families, with a sub-award to Care Transformation Collaborative of Rhode Island. A $10.86 million WIC Food Expense formula grant (CFDA 10.557, USDA, October 2025–September 2026) funds supplemental nutritious foods for low-income pregnant women, infants, and children, with sub-awards to Children's Friend and Service and other community organizations. RIDOH receives a $263 thousand EPA project grant (CFDA 66.444, October 2025–September 2027) for voluntary lead testing and remediation in schools and child care facilities. An $8.13 million Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting grant (CFDA 93.870, MCH Bureau, September 2025–September 2027) supports evidence-based home visiting services across 11 Rhode Island municipalities. RIDOH also administers cooperative agreements with CDC on colorectal cancer screening ($547.2 thousand, five-year term through August 2030), vaccine-preventable disease prevention, HIV surveillance and prevention, tuberculosis elimination, and emergency preparedness.

RIDOH acts as prime recipient on the vast majority of its awards (94%). It regularly sub-awards grant funding to community-based partners including Thundermist Health Center, Clinica Esperanza Hope Clinic, The Rhode Island Free Clinic, Tri-County Community Action Agency, East Bay Community Action Program, Providence Community Health Centers, and others to deliver direct services. The agency also receives sub-awards from parent recipients including Rhode Island DOT (for forensic toxicology and EMS maintenance funded through highway safety grants), Brown University (for data management and epidemiological support on overdose and substance use programs), and the Miriam Hospital (for HIV phylogeny and contact tracing).

Activity has remained relatively flat over the past five years (39 awards in 2022, 34 in 2025), with 63 awards completing within the next twenty-four months and presenting recompete opportunity. RIDOH's award portfolio reflects its role as Rhode Island's statewide health agency: the work centers on surveillance, regulatory compliance, preventive health services, workforce development, data systems, and coordination of evidence-based interventions across maternal and child health, chronic disease prevention, infectious disease control, environmental health, and emergency preparedness. The agency does not pursue federal contracts and does not sit on federal contract vehicles; its revenue stream is anchored in recurring formula grants, cooperative agreements with CDC and other HHS agencies, and targeted project grants from federal public health and social service programs.