Whitehouse Helps Secure Funding for Rhode Island Priorities

Press Release

Whitehouse Helps Secure Funding for Rhode Island Priorities

U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) helped secure federal funding for many Rhode Island priorities in major funding legislation passed by Congress yesterday.

"I am pleased to have worked with Senator Reed and Congressmen Kennedy and Langevin to secure these funds," said Whitehouse. "Support for these projects will bolster Rhode Island's dynamic economy, make our towns safer and more responsive in the event of emergencies, protect our environment today and preserve it for tomorrow, and improve our health care system."

A list of the projects for which Whitehouse helped secure funding is below:


PROTECTING NARRAGANSETT BAY AND OPEN SPACES

Narragansett Bay Window Program: $916,500
The bill provides $916,000 for the Narragansett Bay Window monitoring program, a cooperative effort to assess the water quality, ecology, fish, and fisheries of Narragansett Bay. This program is responsible for major advances in our understanding of Narragansett Bay's ecological dynamics, including frequency and extent of marine life kills in the Bay, documenting changes in the Bay's productivity cycle, and examining shifts in fish species and population levels. Senator Whitehouse worked with Senator Reed and Congressmen Kennedy and Langevin to secure this funding.

Save the Bay Narragansett Bay Marine Education: $893,000
Save the Bay, southern New England's largest environmental organization, will receive $893,000 to continue supporting research analysis on environmental and conservation issues, as well as youth and adult education programming focused on the preservation of Narragansett Bay. Senator Whitehouse worked with Senator Reed to secure this funding.

Rhode Island National Wildlife Refuge Complex: $492,000
The bill provides $492,000 in funding for land acquisitions at the Rhode Island National Wildlife Refuge Complex to expand protected areas of deciduous forest, forested wetlands, and open lands that abut the complex. Senator Whitehouse worked with Senator Reed to secure this funding.

Save the Bay Shellfish Restoration: $188,000
The bill provides $188,000 for the Save the Bay shellfish restoration project. This important habitat restoration project seeks to rebuild the Narragansett Bay scallop population that has suffered due to pollution, overfishing, and other pressures. The project builds on successful efforts by Save the Bay and other partners to restore the Bay's important underwater eelgrass beds, which provide essential habitat for marine life and help buffer the Rhode Island coastline. Senator Whitehouse worked with Senator Reed and Congressman Kennedy to secure this funding.

IMPROVING HEALTH CARE

Rhode Island Quality Institute: $862,000
The bill provides $862,200 for the Rhode Island Quality Institute to build a Health Information Exchange (HIE). The project will enhance access to medical data, decision support, aggregated data, and a patient portal. Decision support will take clinical data that has been digitized, mobilized, and made available by the HIE, and integrate these data with contemporary evidence-based disease management protocols. This tool will provide physicians with an unparalleled ability to quickly take actions most consistent with prevailing science and best practices for managing acute and chronic conditions. Senator Whitehouse worked with Senator Reed to secure this funding.

Northwest Community Health Care: $430,000
The bill provides $430,000 for the Northwest Community Health Center to construct an 8,000-square-foot community facility in Foster, Rhode Island. Northwest Community Health Center provides primary care, dental, and other health services to more than 6,000 largely uninsured residents of northwestern Rhode Island regardless of their ability to pay. This will be the first community health center in the region. Senator Whitehouse worked with Senator Reed and Congressman Langevin to secure this funding.

Providence Community Health Centers - Health Center Expansion Project: $244,000
The bill provides $244,000 for the Providence Community Health Centers (PCHC) to construct a new, 12,000-square-foot facility in South Providence. PCHC is comprised of five health clinics, a school-based program, a dental clinic, and the state's only sexually-transmitted disease clinic. Through these facilities, PCHC provides high-quality, neighborhood-focused, accessible primary care services to local residents regardless of their ability to pay. Senator Whitehouse worked with Senator Reed to secure this funding.

University of Rhode Island Tick-Borne Disease Prevention: $298,000
The University of Rhode Island will receive $298,000 to continue research to investigate potential climate-based factors that influence activity by ticks, carriers of Lyme disease. For over a decade, Rhode Island has consistently reported the second-highest incidence per capita of Lyme disease in the nation. In the past five years, Rhode Island has seen its number of tick-transmitted infections rise significantly. This funding will help sustain efforts to better educate the public about avoiding tick-borne infections and improve monitoring of tick activity in the northeastern United States. Senator Whitehouse worked with Senator Reed to secure this funding.

EXPANDING EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

JASON Project: $2.2 million
The bill provides $2.2 million for The JASON Project. The JASON Project connects students and teachers with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)'s cutting-edge research in science-based education. The JASON curriculum promotes overall science learning and has helped a diverse group of students grasp a deeper understanding of complex scientific content, concepts, and technologies. Senator Whitehouse worked with Senator Reed to secure this funding.

Salve Regina University - Community and Historic Preservation Living Laboratory: $814,000
The bill provides $814,000 to equip classrooms, lecture halls, and laboratories, as well as to provide archeological equipment and software digitization, for the new Antone Center for Arts and Culture at Salve Regina University. The Antone Center will be the centerpiece of the university's "living laboratory" and home of the Cultural and Historic Preservation Department and its Community Preservation Laboratory, along with the Department of Art and the Department of Theater Arts. Senator Whitehouse worked with Senator Reed to secure this funding.

Ocean Tides School Program Development and Enhancement Project: $268,000
The Ocean Tides School, a residential and educational facility, has been successful in turning around the lives of young men at risk. The school, based in Narragansett, will receive $268,000 to upgrade its science and computer labs and other educational facilities. Senator Whitehouse worked with Senator Reed to secure this funding.

American Sail Training Association Youth Adventure Program: $263,000
$263,000 provided in the bill will be used to expand the American Sail Training Association's (ASTA) successful training programs for at-risk youth in the Ocean State. ASTA's sailing programs build character, foster teamwork and develop leadership skills in its participants. Senator Whitehouse worked with Senator Reed to secure this funding.

Ocean Community YMCA - Camp Watchaug Redevelopment: $196,000
With the assistance of federal funding, Camp Watchaug will increase capacity and improve the quality of outdoor facilities and become a three-season site. The bill provides $196,000 for the Ocean Community YMCA to redevelop the camp, including the renovation of a bathhouse into a state-of the-art-learning center. Senator Whitehouse visited Camp Watchaug in March and worked with Senator Reed to secure this funding.

Rhode Island College Foundation Institute for Portuguese and Lusophone World Studies: $95,000
Founded in 2006, the Institute for Portuguese and Lusophone World Studies offers a high level of academic preparation in communication and literacy in the Portuguese language. The $95,000 provided by the bill will go toward furthering the Institute's endeavors, including training for professional careers and advanced study, standardized testing of Portuguese proficiency, creating materials for elementary and secondary education in Portuguese, and a certification program in interpretation. Senator Whitehouse worked with Senator Reed and Congressman Kennedy to secure this funding.


HELPING RHODE ISLANDERS IN NEED

Institute for the Study and Practice of Nonviolence Streetworkers Program: $352,500
The bill provides $352,500 for the Institute for the Study and Practice of Nonviolence in Providence. The Institute's Streetwalker program reconnects at-risk youth with traditional safety nets through an outreach program. The program takes a preventative approach by reaching potential violent offenders in their own neighborhoods. Whitehouse worked with Senator Reed and Congressmen Kennedy and Langevin to secure this funding.

PASA AfterZone Youth Anti-Crime Initiative: $263,000
Whitehouse has been engaged in making a difference in the lives of middle school students since working with the Oliver Hazard Perry Middle School as Rhode Island Attorney General. Currently, less than 10 percent of Providence's middle school children take part in safe, educational after school activities. The bill provides $263,000 for the Providence After School Alliance (PASA) to develop additional AfterZones, networks of providers in neighborhoods committed to providing valuable after-school activities for middle school youth. Senator Whitehouse worked with Senator Reed to secure this funding.

Rhode Island Family Court Mental Health Services: $223,000
Data suggests that young people in the juvenile justice system suffer from a high rate of undiagnosed psychiatric disorders. The bill provides $223,000 to strengthen the capabilities of the Rhode Island Family Court Mental Health Clinic, one of the few pilot projects in the country to offer rapid psychological evaluations and treatment recommendations to youth and the courts. Senator Whitehouse worked with Senator Reed to secure this funding.

The Samaritans of Rhode Island - Suicide Prevention Study and Statewide Outreach Program: $200,000
The bill provides $200,000 to improve its Crisis Hotline/Listening Line program. Enhancements will include increased community outreach, better program coordination, and year-round volunteer recruitment, training, retention, and support. The Samaritans of Rhode Island plan to grow to at least 75 volunteers, 10,000 contact calls, and 15,000 website visitors annually. These efforts will hopefully reduce the number of suicides and suicide attempts in Rhode Island. Senator Whitehouse worked with Senator Reed to secure this funding.

The Groden Center: $143,000
With the $143,000 provided by this bill, the Groden Center will develop a therapeutic job club for 15 adults with Asperger's syndrome. Adults with Asperger's syndrome often fall through the cracks for public services and funding because although they have high cognitive abilities, they lack the social skills necessary to get and keep a job. This new job club will demonstrate the efficacy of the training developed and help people with Asperger's syndrome enter the job market and become self-sufficient. Senator Whitehouse worked with Senator Reed and Congressman Kennedy to secure this funding.

SUPPORTING RHODE ISLAND'S CITIES AND TOWNS

Alternative Energy Lab and Biomass Facilities Project: $984,000
The bill provides $984,000 to support an energy-transition program for the Foster-Glocester Regional School District. The project will help the district implement renewable energy initiatives and will serve as a model for transitions from non-renewable fossil fuels to clean alternatives. Senator Whitehouse worked with Senator Reed to secure this funding.

City of East Providence Biological Nutrient Control: $689,000
The bill provides East Providence with $689,000 to upgrade existing facilities and operations, and to add new structures and equipment as part of an aggressive statewide effort to improve water quality by limiting nutrient discharges into Narragansett Bay. The existing East Providence Wastewater Treatment Facility requires upgrades and significant capital investment to bring the facility, designed in the 1970s, into compliance with new discharge limits imposed by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management. Senator Whitehouse worked with Senator Reed to secure this funding.

Newport County Chamber of Commerce Marine Trades Training Expansion: $500,000
The bill provides $500,000 to assist the Newport Chamber of Commerce and the International Yacht Restoration School in preserving Newport's historic waterfront. The funds will be used toward the restoration of the Aquidneck textile mill and the electric generating plant. The restored facilities will be used as classroom, workshop, and public spaces. Senator Whitehouse worked with Senator Reed to secure this funding.

City of Warwick Replacement of Water Transmission Main: $492,000
The bill provides $492,000 to replace the main water transmission line in Warwick - a line that provides water service to the Army National Guard, T.F. Green International Airport, residences, and commercial districts - without a disruption of service. The funds will improve drinking water quality and increase water pressure for public safety measures. The World War II-era pipe was constructed with weak cement - it has ruptured many times - and must be replaced in order to repave Airport Road in Warwick. Senator Whitehouse worked with Senator Reed to secure this funding.

City of Newport Emergency Telecommunication System: $357,000
An essential element in the coastal community of Newport's homeland security plan is an integrated voice communication system. The bill provides the Newport Police Department $357,000 to purchase hardware required to upgrade its radio system to the integrated protocol model. Senator Whitehouse worked with Senator Reed to secure this funding.

Newport Water Pollution Control Infrastructure: $295,000
The heavily-utilized Newport water pollution control system serves the wastewater needs of Newport, Middletown and Navy properties. The bill provides $295,000 to upgrade the system and better manage storm water volume by separating and diverting storm water from sewage, reducing health risks to the harbor and other public waterways during overflow events. Senator Whitehouse worked with Senator Reed to secure this funding.

Warwick Cove Channel Modification: $187,000
The bill provides $183,000 for the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council to realign the southern end of the Warwick Cove navigation channel to provide easier access to Greenwich Bay. Warwick Cove is home to the largest concentration of vessels in Rhode Island, and the channel realignment will improve safety by reducing confusion and congestion. Senator Whitehouse worked with Senator Reed to secure this funding.

Town of Johnston Emergency Operations Center Equipment: $89,000
Funding in the bill will allow the Town of Johnston to purchase $89,000 of equipment to enhance its Emergency Operations Center. The upgrades will allow Johnston to be part of the Rhode Island Statewide Interoperable Communications Network. Senator Whitehouse worked with Senator Reed to secure this funding.

Source