WeVote
Log In

Bill

Bill

SB 2845

AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH AND SAFETY -- THE RHODE ISLAND FAMILY HOME--VISITING ACT

2026 Regular Session Introduced by Jonathon Acosta and 8 co-sponsors

Expands and formalizes evidence-based home-visiting services (via First Connections) with increased funding, coordination, and a plan to maximize federal funding to support pregnan

05/05/2026 Committee recommended measure be held for further study
0
WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · SB 2845

Summary of Bill: SB 2845 (2026) – Rhode Island Family Home-Visiting Act

Overview

  • Jurisdiction: Rhode Island
  • Session: 2026
  • Introduced: March 4, 2026
  • Referred to: Senate Finance
  • Title: AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH AND SAFETY — THE RHODE ISLAND FAMILY HOME–VISITING ACT
  • Primary aim: Strengthen and expand the state's family home-visiting system by formalizing First Connections as a provider, increasing funding and accountability, and leveraging federal MIECHV funds alongside Medicaid and state resources to improve outcomes for pregnant and parenting families.

Purpose and Intent

  • Emphasizes early experiences and relationships as foundational for child development and lifelong success.
  • Recognizes voluntary, high-quality home-visiting programs as a means to support families with young children, link families to resources, and address common parenting challenges.
  • Addresses declines in access to evidence-based home-visiting services (notably a 32% drop since 2021 and the closure of several programs) and aims to stabilize and expand services through increased funding, better data, and enhanced coordination.

Key Provisions

1) Definition and Integration of First Connections

  • Adds First Connections, Rhode Island’s state-run home-visiting program, as a provider under the Rhode Island Family Home-Visiting Act.
  • Describes First Connections as offering rapid-response, short-term visits for pregnant individuals and families with newborns and children up to age three, typically delivering 1–4 visits delivered by registered nurses, community health workers, and social workers.
  • Each visit includes assessment of medical, safety, and family needs, with referrals to postpartum support, basic needs, and more comprehensive programs as needed.

2) System Coordination and Model Standards

  • The Department of Health (DOH) will coordinate Rhode Island’s home-visiting system with the Department of Human Services and the Department of Children, Youth & Families to identify and implement evidence-based models.
  • Programs must follow fidelity to proven models and meet standards ensuring high-quality service, use of research-based curricula, and outcomes demonstrated in at least two of these areas:
    • Prenatal, maternal, infant, or child health improvements
    • Safety, reduced maltreatment and injuries
    • Family economic security and self-sufficiency
    • Enhanced early childhood development and school readiness

3) Targeted Referral System

  • Establishes a statewide referral system to identify and enroll families prenatally or shortly after birth into voluntary, evidence-based home-visiting programs.
  • Prioritizes families with risk factors known to impair child development (e.g., adolescent parents, prenatal substance exposure, history of maltreatment or domestic violence, incarceration, cognitive or disability concerns, financial insecurity, homelessness, etc.).

4) Annual State Home-Visiting Report

  • The DOH must issue an annual report by March 1 detailing:
    • Funding amounts/sources (state and federal)
    • Number of families served (First Connections) and those enrolled in evidence-based models (last five years)
    • Demographics, duration of participation, cross-department coordination
    • Outcomes in health, maltreatment, economic security, and development
    • Estimated number of at-risk children and a plan with fiscal costs/benefits to expand access over the next three years
    • Federal MIECHV funds utilized, and administration costs
    • Funding by model and source (Medicaid, MIECHV, other)
    • Implementation successes and challenges (funding, contracts, staffing, enrollment)

5) Funding and Expansion

  • State appropriations shall be combined with federal dollars to expand evidence-based home-visiting programs, targeting vulnerable groups (e.g., teen parents, families with a welfare history).
  • The act directs efforts to offer programs to all vulnerable families through expanded access.

6) Medicaid Rate Increases

  • The Executive Office of Health and Human Services must pursue a Medicaid state plan amendment and allocate sufficient state general revenue to raise Medicaid payment rates for family home-visiting services by the amount recommended in the 2025 Social and Human Services Program Rate Review.
  • Increased rates to be implemented by October 1, 2026.

7) Maximizing Federal MIECHV Funds

  • Each year, the state must allocate the minimum necessary to draw down the maximum available MIECHV federal dollars for the Rhode Island Department of Health to fund home-visiting services.

Effective Date

  • The act takes effect upon passage.

Impact and Implications

  • Beneficiaries: Pregnant individuals, new parents, and families with children up to age three, especially those facing risk factors that affect child development.
  • Service Delivery: Formal recognition of First Connections as a provider; expanded, evidence-based, and model-fidelity home-visiting services; improved referral pathways and coordination across state agencies.
  • Funding: Increased and more predictable funding mix (state general revenue + Medicaid rate increases + federal MIECHV funds) to sustain and expand services; emphasis on maximizing federal funds.
  • Transparency and Accountability: Annual reporting requirement to assess outcomes, funding flows, and expansion progress; data will be publicly accessible.

Notes

  • The bill aligns Rhode Island policy with national efforts to use home visiting as a preventive, early-intervention strategy for child and family health and development.
  • It lists several specific risk factors used to prioritize referrals and outlines how the DOH will measure success and expansion over time.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

Sign in to ask a question.