Rhode Island was awarded an $81.7M grant to fully fund and retrofit a new health lab for its residents

Rhode Island has received an $81.7 million grant to build a state-of-the-art public health laboratory that will provide better, faster, and more efficient patient services.

Rhode Island’s congressional delegation announced new federal funding of $200,000 for the state’s Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity. The facility, which was built back in 1978, is significantly outdated. On top of that, it not only has poor lab space for all of its functions but also does not have sufficient building systems and broken equipment. The state spends upwards of $50000 a year just to maintain it!

The state health laboratories work to investigate and mitigate multiple diseases, including COVID-19, SEO, Ebola, H1N1, Zika. CoVID-19 samples weren’t able to be tested in sufficient quantities last year, but now it is easier to access commercial testing services around the world.

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“CoVID-19 revealed a serious gap in our health care infrastructure. These lawmakers will make sure that Rhode Island gets a new state-of-the-art facility, allowing it to continue to grow and innovate for the 21st century.

The state health laboratories are also partnering with state and municipal agencies to make sure drinking water and food are safe, monitor water & air pollution, and train police officers on the latest state-of-the-art equipment. These scientists work hard to help public safety in all fields by conducting DNA tests.