As of June 2016, more than 30,000 Rhode Islanders didn’t have jobs and were actively trying to find work, according to the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training (DLT). In April and May, nearly 4,000 jobs in the state disappeared, though 1,700 were added in June.
At the same time, some Rhode Island employers say they can’t find qualified workers to fill their job vacancies. This divide is known as the "skills gap."
On Thursday, September 29 at 8 p.m., we broadcast Bridging the Divide: Fixing the Skills Gap in Rhode Island, a one-hour interactive discussion moderated by Jennifer McCaffery, associate editor of Rhode Island Monthly. The program brings together the academic, private, and public sectors on one stage to explore solutions and map out strategies and plans for remediation.
Panelists are
Scott Jensen, Director of the RI Department of Labor and Training
Joe Devine, Partner of Bridge Technical Talent
Dr. Meghan Hughes, President of the Community College of Rhode Island
Mario Bueno, Executive Director of Progreso Latino
Audience guests will likely be seen on camera and should plan grooming and attire accordingly. Guests who do not wish to be on camera are invited to watch the taping from the reception room.
Interested parties who may have a skills gap question for panelists but who cannot attend the taping are invited to email the question to
marketing@rimonthly.com no later than Tuesday, September 20.
Healthy children mean a healthy future. But when one in five Rhode Island children has a diagnosable mental illness, what are we doing to ensure our children’s mental health? In Kids’ Mental Health: A Road Map to Stronger Minds,four distinct voices in the field examine the answers: a national leader in child psychiatry, a state-level director, a parent advocate, and a psychiatrist who works with vulnerable youth. The special premieres on Thursday, May 19 at 8 p.m. on Rhode Island PBS. (UPDATE: The entire show can be seen below.)
The conversation, presented by the Rhode Island Foundation, was inspired by “Child, Interrupted,” a story in the May issue of Rhode Island Monthly that delves into the state’s pediatric mental health care system. As revealed in the story, children’s mental illness is a problem that affects individual families and the state as a whole. Click here for the latest data on children’s mental health from RI Kids Count.
The print story centers on a boy named Conor, whose mental illness went undiagnosed for much of his childhood. Conor’s mom, Shana, said, “Throughout all of this, I’ve never felt so alone. And if talking about it is going to make one person in a similar situation feel less alone, it’s worth it.”
In no small part, that sentiment inspired Kids’ Mental Health: A Road Map to Stronger Minds, a conversation about our deteriorating mental health system, trauma, stigma and ways to help families in need.
During the one-hour premiere, parents, caregivers, educators, and other interested viewers are invited to call in and consult peer mentors — who are parents of children with mental illness — about strategies for working with schools, advice on treatment options, and resources available through the Parent Support Network.
The panelists who will help parents and providers navigate Rhode Island’s mental health care system for children are Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott, director of the Rhode Island Department of Health; Dr. Gregory Fritz, president of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and academic director of Bradley Hospital; Dr. Elizabeth Lowenhaupt, child and adolescent psychiatrist, Lifespan Physician Group/Rhode Island Hospital, and president of the Rhode Island Council for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry; and Lisa Conlan Lewis, executive director of the Parent Support Network of Rhode Island.
“We facilitated this discussion in hopes of bringing the community together to improve the system of behavioral health care for children through advocacy, education, and services,” said Neil Steinberg, president and CEO of the Rhode Island Foundation. “We believe the community is stronger when everyone participates and engages in addressing today’s challenges.”
“Rhode Island is home to the first - and nationally-acclaimed - hospital dedicated to child and adolescent psychiatry, yet still faces a dire shortage of child psychiatrists,” said President and Publisher of Rhode Island Monthly John J. Palumbo. “Rhode Island is still a place where health insurance and insurance providers dictate the type and length of care. It’s still a place where the child and adolescent mental health system remains in crisis. We’re pleased to be collaborating with the Rhode Island Foundation and Rhode Island PBS to bring these critical issues to the table for Mental Health Awareness month,” Palumbo added.
Moderated by Casey Nilsson, associate editor at Rhode Island Monthly and author of the magazine article, the discussion was taped before a studio audience of parents, mental health advocates, and members of the community. In the final quarter hour, panelists answered questions from the audience, and questions submitted in advance by email.
“Rhode Island PBS remains committed to producing local content that is relevant to our community,” said President of Rhode Island PBS David W. Piccerelli. “Televising important conversations like this one provides immediate benefit to families looking for information about accessing children’s mental health services. It also has long-range benefits by raising awareness, raising questions that set remedies and policies in motion to address the issues surrounding children’s mental illness.”
Kids’ Mental Health: A Road Map to Stronger Minds will encore on Saturday, May 21 at noon and 11 p.m., and on Sunday, May 22 at 6 p.m. as part of the ongoing Rhode Island PBS series, Rhode Island Stories.
UPDATE: Watch the show in its entirety here:
About the Rhode Island Foundation The Rhode Island Foundation is the largest and most comprehensive funder of nonprofit organizations in Rhode Island. In 2015, the Foundation awarded $41.5 million in grants to organizations addressing the state’s most pressing issues and needs of diverse communities. Through leadership, fundraising and grantmaking activities, often in partnership with individuals and organizations, the Foundation is helping Rhode Island reach its true potential. About Rhode Island Monthly Communications, Inc. Based in Providence, RI, Rhode Island Monthly Communications, Inc. is Rhode Island’s leading full-service publisher of magazines and specialty publications, including custom publishing projects. Products include several lifestyle and tourism publications serving residents of – and visitors to – Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts. About Rhode Island PBS WSBE Rhode Island PBS is operated by the Rhode Island PBS Foundation, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. WSBE Rhode Island PBS is a viewer-supported member of the PBS network of public broadcasting stations, and uses the power of noncommercial media to educate, engage, enrich, inspire, and entertain viewers of all ages in Rhode Island, southeastern Massachusetts, and eastern Connecticut since 1967. WSBE-TV delivers content on three channels: Rhode Island PBS (digital 36.1), Learn (digital 36.2), and Spanish-language content on Vme (36.3). For more information about programs and education services at WSBE, visit www.ripbs.org.
WSBE Rhode Island PBS transmits over the air on 36.1; Rhode Island cable: Cox cable 08/1008HD, Verizon FiOS 08/508HD, Full Channel 08; Massachusetts cable: Comcast 819HD (Comcast SD subscribers check local listings for channel), Verizon FiOS 18/518HD; satellite: Dish 36/7776, DirecTV 36.
Contributing Writer: Casey Nilsson, Rhode Island Monthly UPDATED May 20, 2016; June 2, 2016
Helps Children, Parents, Pediatricians Navigate Rhode Island's Mental Health Care System
Public Invited to the Taping on May 4 of Televised Discussion
with Medical and Mental Health Professionals and Advocates
Healthy children mean a healthy future. But what are we doing to ensure our children's mental health?
The often complex answers to this question and more will be addressed by four local medical and mental health professionals and advocates, during a panel discussion that identifies current challenges and helps navigate Rhode Island's mental health care system for children. The panelists areDr. Nicole Alexander-Scott, director of the Rhode Island Department of Health;Dr. Gregory Fritz, president of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and academic director of Bradley Hospital;Dr. Elizabeth Lowenhaupt, child and adolescent psychiatrist, Lifespan Physician Group/Rhode Island Hospital, and president of the Rhode Island Council for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry;Lisa Conlan Lewis, executive director of the Parent Support Network of Rhode Island. Presented by the Rhode Island Foundation, in conjunction with Rhode Island Monthly magazine and Rhode Island PBS, the discussion will be moderated by Rhode Island Monthly magazine's Associate Editor Casey Nilsson, and will be held at Rhode Island PBS studios in Providence, on Wednesday, May 4. A reception with panelists and guests begins at 5:30 p.m. preceding the taping at 6:15 p.m. Light refreshments will be served. Rhode Island PBS will air the full program on Thursday, May 19 at 8 p.m.
The Rhode Island Foundation is the largest and most comprehensive funder of nonprofit organizations in Rhode Island. In 2015, the Foundation awarded $41.5 million in grants to organizations addressing the state's most pressing issues and needs of diverse communities. Through leadership, fundraising and grantmaking activities, often in partnership with individuals and organizations, the Foundation is helping Rhode Island reach its true potential.
About Rhode Island Monthly Communications, Inc.
Based in Providence, RI , Rhode Island Monthly Communications, Inc. is Rhode Island's leading full-service publisher of magazines and specialty publications, including custom publishing projects. Products include several lifestyle and tourism publications serving residents of - and visitors to - Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts.
About Rhode Island PBS
WSBE Rhode Island PBS is operated by the Rhode Island PBS Foundation, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. WSBE Rhode Island PBS is a viewer-supported member of the PBS network of public broadcasting stations, and uses the power of noncommercial media to educate, engage, enrich, inspire, and entertain viewers of all ages in Rhode Island, southeastern Massachusetts, and eastern Connecticut since 1967. WSBE-TV delivers content on three channels: Rhode Island PBS (digital 36.1), Learn (digital 36.2), and Spanish-language content on Vme (36.3).
WSBE Rhode Island PBS transmits standard-definition (SD) and high-definition (HD) content over the air on digital 36.1; on Rhode Island cable services: Cox 08 / 1008HD, Verizon FiOS 08 / 508HD, Full Channel 08; on Massachusetts cable services: Comcast 819HD, Verizon 18 / 518HD; on satellite: DirecTV 36 / 3128HD, Dish Network 36. WSBE Learn transmits over the air on digital 36.2; on cable: Cox 808, Verizon 478, Full Channel 89, Comcast 294 or 312. For more information about programs and education services at WSBE, visit www.ripbs.org.
As of June 2016, more than 30,000 Rhode Islanders didn’t have jobs and were actively trying to find work, according to the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training (DLT). In April and May, nearly 4,000 jobs in the state disappeared, though 1,700 were added in June.
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