BankNewport, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Tufts Health Plan join Salve's Health and Wellness Community Outreach program
Local organizations provide financial support that enables on-site health care education across Rhode Island.
BankNewport and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Tufts Health Plan, both Point32Health companies, have come on board as sponsors of Salve Regina University's health and wellness community outreach program. The initiative is designed to educate a rising generation of health care and mental health professionals through hands-on experiential learning to serve Rhode Island communities in need. The program was recently recognized with a Health Care Heroes Award for Advancement in Health Care Prevention from Providence Business News.
The community outreach program enables Salve students and faculty to deliver onsite health care education and preventive screening from a fully equipped mobile unit, aiding in the effort to decrease health care access disparities across the state. The program was initiated through a federal earmark from the Health Resources and Services Administration, championed by Rhode Island Senator Jack Reed, allowing Salve to purchase and equip the 40-foot mobile unit and cover initial operational costs.
As program sponsors, BankNewport, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Tufts Health Plan provide financial support to underwrite critical operational costs that fuel the mobile unit’s ongoing mission in the community.
"Access to quality health care has become more challenging," said Jack Murphy, president and CEO of BankNewport. "Salve's mobile health unit brings health education and preventative care directly to individuals and families who might otherwise go without. It's a thoughtful, practical way to reach people where they are, and it reflects the mercy mission of Salve and the community focus of BankNewport."
"We are incredibly proud to support Salve's health and wellness mobile unit as it brings needed health resources to Rhode Island communities," said Jake Biscoglio, president of commercial and specialty at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care. "The mobile unit is not only providing much-needed access to preventive screenings but also helping to train the next generation of health care workers in the state. Salve should be applauded for their efforts to promote the health and wellness of Rhode Island residents."
When it is out on its missions, the mobile unit is staffed by students and faculty from Salve's nursing, social work and health science degree programs. Working with community partners including Conexión Latina, The Salvation Army Newport Corps, St. Joseph's food pantry, Jamestown Housing Authority, Thompson Middle School, the IMALIVE Mental Health Fair and other organizations, the mobile unit has already supported 10 events both on the Salve campus and in the greater Newport community. At those events, students and faculty have delivered education, materials and resources tailored to specific needs, including women's health, dental health, mental health, blood pressure checks and domestic violence.
At each mobilization to a community partner, the Salve students and faculty have seen 20 to 50 members of vulnerable populations. They have provided not only health and wellness education, but also socks, hand warmers, blankets, toothbrushes, toothpaste and items to help with stress and anxiety. The program is just getting started with 10 more visits already planned in the spring of 2026 at locations expanding into other parts of Rhode Island.
Salve President Kelli J. Armstrong said, "We follow in the footsteps of our founders, the Sisters of Mercy, and their mission to serve the needs of their local community. We are inspired by and grateful to BankNewport and to Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Tufts Health Plan for their support of Salve in this work. How fortunate we are to be part of such a close-knit, caring community."
To learn how to support the program or for more information on where the Salve mobile unit will be in the coming months, contact program director Dr. Debra Cherubini, associate professor of nursing and director of the RN-BSN program, at debra.cherubini@salve.edu.
