Healthy Plan

Rhode Island bill legalizes abortion care under Medicaid and state employee health plan

Sen. Bridget Valverde (D-North Kingstown), Senate sponsor of the Equality in Abortion Coverage Act, said the EACA was unfinished business after a state-based abortion right became law in 2019.

“We protected Rhode Islanders from losing the right that has been stripped from millions of Americans across the country over the last year, following the Dobbs decision by the Supreme Court,” Valverde said. “[But] a right to a health care service is useless if we intentionally prevent people’s health insurance from covering it. The ban on abortion coverage in Medicaid and state plans has been an unfair and unjust barrier to the full range of reproductive healthcare, which includes abortion.”

The Senate passed the EACA on a 24-12 vote, with support from President Dominick Ruggerio.

The opposition came from the GOP minority in the Senate and a sprinkling of Democrats.

Senate GOP Leader Jessica de la Cruz of North Smithfield

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Healthy Information

Flagler County Health Department observes National Women’s Health Week | Observer Local News

The Florida Department of Health-Flagler observed National Women’s Health Week on May 14-25 with a panel discussion on the Flagler Health Matters radio show, which aired May 20 on WNZF 94.9 FM.

A recording is available at flaglerbroadcasting.com/podcasts.

The panel included Jeannette Simmons of Flagler Cares, Health Department nurse practitioner Carmel Frawley and the department’s Mary Kauffman, who spoke about the department’s Women, Infants and Children program.

Jaffy Lee, the DOH-Flagler’s public information officer and preparedness planner and the host of Flagler Health Matters, said women are often caught in the demands of work and family and forego a healthy lifestyle.

The Health Department team said women should get active, get a regular checkup, eat a healthy diet, prioritize mental health and make daily decisions that make yourself a priority and influence overall health.

“Women’s Health Care Month (in May) is about raising awareness of how a woman

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