After serving the Providence community for nearly 150 years, Roger Williams Medical Center was positioned to close this past January. In a last-ditch effort to keep the hospital running, the state government sold it to the Centurion Foundation, an out-of-state nonprofit similar to the previous owner, Prospect Medical, who bankrupted the hospital. Without a more fundamental change, Rhode Islanders’ medical care will remain at risk.
Built in the late 1800s, Roger Williams started off as a small community hospital. As its community grew and evolved, the hospital developed specialized services that are not available anywhere else in the state of Rhode Island, such as its bone marrow transplant program and behavioral health services. Those specialized treatments serve the most vulnerable and medically complicated patients in the state.
Roger Williams not only serves Providence, but also the other three most populous cities in Rhode Island — East Providence, Pawtucket, and Cranston — which are less than 15 minutes away by car. A closure would cause a significant increase in deaths within the city of Providence specifically due to its aging population. Nearly 40% of residents are above the age of 40 with shrinking healthcare options. Roger Williams’ location also enables its staff to serve those who may struggle to access healthcare, whether it is due to transportation, language, chronic medical conditions or socio-economic barriers.
Prior to the sale, when the immediate fate of the hospital was uncertain, I interviewed one of the staff, who wished to stay anonymous. Here is our interaction:
Q: How are staff feeling about the potential closing? What is the atmosphere like?
A: There’s just a lot of sadness. People have worked here for years, even decades. These aren’t just jobs; these are people who know the community and who’ve cared for generations of families. So, to think that all of that could disappear is really emotional for staff. Staff are genuinely worried about the patients, a lot of them ask “Where will they go?” and “Who will take care of them?” Over time, Roger Williams built a reputation for stepping in where the community needs are highest. Behavioral health, for example, is an area where demand far outpaces available resources statewide along with our bone marrow transplant program which brings a level of specialty care that people would otherwise have to travel far for. This hospital has always tried to bridge those gaps. There is also a lot of resilience and hope, especially from those who have been with the hospital through all its transitions.
Q: How long ago were staff notified of the potential closing? What impact has that had?
A: We were notified around the end of October, not much time to really prepare for an event like that. To be honest, everyone was shocked and because of the uncertainty a lot of people don’t know how soon they should start looking for another employer…Staff has always been fully committed to providing excellent patient care throughout this entire time.
On March 6, 2026, Roger Williams was sold to Centurion. The Rhode Island government, desperate to get the deal through, provided Centurion a $18 million pre-bailout with RI taxpayer money. Shifting ownership from Prospect Medical to Centurion Foundation may have solved the immediate crisis, but the hospital is keeping the same exact executive team that drove the hospital into bankruptcy.
Corporations are always going to deprive and drain community hospitals. The only way to end this abusive cycle of private ownership and exploitation is state ownership and administration of healthcare. Access should be universal with care that is free at the point of service, and hospitals should be run democratically by their workers — who understand how to care for their patients better than any executive. Only then will healthcare be a human right rather than a profit-making commodity.