Block Island Health Services

Block Island Health Services is the sole provider source of medical Services on the Island. The staff includes a physician, a nurse practitioner, a registered nurse, a receptionist billing clerk, and a finance director. Urgent care Services are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The physician and nurse practitioner rotate shifts to assure urgent care is always available. The medical center works closely with the rescue squad. There are about 5,000 visits yearly and vary substantially depending on the season. There are about 1,000 full time residents, but there can be 20,000 in the summer. The Island is 13 miles off the coast of rhode Island and depends upon boats and planes to reach the mainland. The seasonality and remoteness adds to the complexity of the care and operations and budgeting. Patient fees are not sufficient to cover costs. To supplement, a variety of fund-raising campaigns and events are held, grants are obtained and the town of new shoreham provides funding.