Newport Hospital was among several hospitals in Rhode Island that achieved an A rating from the hospital watchdog group Leapfrog in its fall ratings. Three hospitals – Roger Williams Medical Center, Kent, and South County were awarded C or below, a pattern of declining ratings over the last few years.

Additionally, Women and Infants Hospital declined to participate in Leapfrog’s survey, according to Leapfrog. The group surveys more than 2,000 hospitals nationwide twice a year.

Both Fatima and Roger Williams are owned by California-based Prospect Medical Holdings, which filed for bankruptcy several months ago. There have been efforts to sell the hospitals while maintaining both of them open.

Women and Infants is part of the Care New England Group, which also includes Kent Hospital, whose safety rating has steadily declined over the last few years.

Leapfrog, which conducted the survey, is a well-respected hospital watchdog group that describes itself as “the nation’s gold standard in evaluating hospital performance on national measures of safety, quality, and efficiency in both inpatient and outpatient areas.”

Hospital safety is critical, with surveys suggesting that as many as 440,000 patients die annually because of hospital safety errors. Studies suggest that preventable medical errors are the third leading cause of death in America.

Leapfrog assigns rankings, A to F, based on issues involving infections, surgical problems, safety concerns, and practices to prevent errors. Within each of these areas are also several measures.

Earning A ratings for the fall of 2025 were Newport, Miriam, Rhode Island, and Westerly Hospitals. Newport, Miria,m and Rhode Island are part of Brown University Health (formerly Lifespan), while Westerly is part of the Yale/New Haven group. Landmark Hospital in Woonsocket received a B rating; Kent, Fatima and South received C ratings; and Roger Williams Medical Center received a D rating.

Several trends were also evident. Newport and Miriam Hospitals have been trending up, scoring B in the spring and fall of 2022, but in 2023 reaching an A rating, and remaining there. Rhode Island fell to a C in the fall of 2023, rising to B in both surveys in 2024, and in the two reports in 2025 have achieved an A rating. 

Landmark has been consistently A-rated since 2022, with the only exception being a B in one of the reports in 2024. Westerly has been rising, from a C in the spring of 2022 to an A in 2025. Fatima has been C-rated with only one exception, a B in the fall of 2022. Roger Williams also consistently received a C until this fall, when its ranking dropped to D.

South County had ranged between A and B, falling to C this fall. 

For those hospitals that trended lower, a significant problem appears to be effective leadership to help prevent errors. “Effective leadership to prevent errors: Errors are much more common if hospital leaders don’t make patient safety a priority. Leaders must make sure that all hospital staff know what they need to work on and that they are held accountable for improvements.”

South County, which is Rhode Island’s only independent hospital, experienced a disruption among physicians several months ago, in a rift with the administration that apparently has yet to heal. 

Leadership, or lack of leadership, was also noted for other hospitals not performing well. 

Meanwhile, other issues remain: healthcare – the lack of primary care physicians (nationwide); the study to determine whether to build a second medical school at the University of Rhode Island; and the threatened closure of Roger Williams and Fatima Hospitals.

Providence, R.I.- The Providence College volleyball head coach Margot Royer-Johnson announced today (Nov. 12) that Ellie Chu, Lyla Buser, Aubrey Easterwood, Ava Dyer and Gwen Koss each signed a written offer of athletic aid to attend Providence College beginning in the fall of 2026 and compete as members of the Friars’ volleyball program.

Chu is a 5’9 setter from Sierra Madre, Calif. She plays for Polytechnic School, where she serves as captain and has recorded 1,703 assists, 583 digs, 345 kills and 215 aces. Chu made First-Team All-Conference in the 2025 season and holds the school record for serving the most consecutive points (24). She plays club for SC Rockstar Volleyball Club. 

“Ellie is an extremely fundamentally-skilled player as both a setter and defensive specialist,” Royer-Johnson said, “Her serve is a huge weapon and she is a spitfire on the court. She will help us defensively and give us depth at the setter position. She is a perfect fit for us.”

Buser is a 6’3 right side from Wellington, Fla. She plays for Cardinal Newman High School and is a three-year captain. Buser has recorded 809 career kills, 82 aces, 205 blocks and 287 digs. She led her team to two District Championships and was named Best Offensive Player in 2024. She plays club for Jupiter Elite Volleyball.

“Lyla is a killer on the right side,” Royer Johnson said. “Her length allows her to put up a big block and her tenacity and speed will allow her to be an immediate offensive weapon for us. We are so happy she is a Friar!”

Easterwood is a 6’4 middle blocker from Dallas, Texas. She plays for John Paul II High School, where she served as captain. She helped lead her team to the State Semifinals in 2024. She has recorded 341 career blocks and posted a .378 pct her sophomore year (2023), a .422 pct as a junior (2024) and an impressive .466 as a senior (2025). Easterwood was named to the 2025 AVCA All-American Watch List. She plays club for TAV.

“Aubrey is a massive presence in the middle. She transitions well to hit and her reach will make her difficult to defend,” Royer-Johnson said, “Her strength as a blocker will make an immediate impact on our team. We are pumped to start working with her in Friartown!”

Dyer is a 5’8 libero from Fort Worth, Texas. She plays for R.L. Paschal High School, where she is a four-year captain. Dyer holds the record for most digs in a single game (39) and has recorded 1,580 career digs. She is a three-time All District First-Team selection, two-time Paschal Volleyball MVP and the 2025 District Defensive Player of the Year. Dyer plays club for TAV.

“Ava is super quick and reads hitters better than anyone we have seen at her age,” Royer-Johnson said, “She never gives up defensively and will provide a spark for us immediately. We look forward to her contagious energy on the court right away.”

Koss is a 6’0 outside hitter from Houston, Texas. She plays for Stratford High School, where she has recorded 1,252 kills and 1,173 digs. She helped lead her team to the State Finals in 2024 was named to the State Championship All-Tournament Team. Koss was named to the 2025 AVCA All-American Watch List. She plays club for Houston Skyline Volleyball Club.

“Gwen is a solid six-rotation hitter. Her passing and hitting efficiency are due to her strong platform and ability to read the game,” Royer-Johnson said, “She is a smart hitter, who is comfortable hitting every shot. Welcome to Friartown, Gwen!”

-GO FRIARS!-

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Thursday will mark the third oversight hearing since the westbound Washington Bridge closure, but this time, former U.S. Attorney Zachary Cunha will lead the probe.

John Marion, with Common Cause Rhode Island, called the move unusual.

“It’s unusual because they’re bringing in outside help and because of who they’re bringing in,” Marion said in an interview with Target 12 on Tuesday. “They’re bringing in the most former U.S. attorney, somebody who’s very well-versed in complex litigation.”

The lawsuit against 13 companies the state blames for the bridge’s failure has become a source of frustration for lawmakers and the public, with RIDOT limiting how much they can answer while the suit is ongoing.

“We had those two prior hearings, but we felt as though we were handcuffed at the time,” Sen. Mark McKenney told Target 12 on Wednesday. “We were advised by the governor’s office and by the attorney general’s office that we shouldn’t delve into any questions that might in any way impact the potential lawsuit the state is bringing.”

R.I. Department of Transportation Director Peter Alviti is the only witness, and unlike previous committee hearings, he will be required to testify under oath.

In a live interview on 12 News at 4 on Wednesday, R.I. Attorney General Peter Neronha said Gov. Dan McKee sent him a letter “not long ago” asking if a member of his team would sit with Alviti on Thursday. He said he agreed to it.

“The instructions to our attorney are to let Director Alviti answer the questions. In other words, there’s not going to be a lot of interference by our lawyer with the process,” Neronha said. “We want Director Alviti to answer the questions. We’re not going to get in the way of those questions, and hopefully, Rhode Islanders will get answers.”

McKenney, who chairs the Senate Committee on Rules, Government Ethics and Oversight, and Rep. Patricia Serpa, who chairs the House Oversight Committee, said they believe Cunha, who will ask the bulk of the questions on Thursday, will be able to get answers from Alviti.

“So, let’s see where the facts take us when he responds,” Serpa told Target 12 on Wednesday.

“We’re also keeping in mind that this isn’t necessarily as much about blame and pointing fingers as it is about making sure that we get the facts, we understand them, and we know for the next time what we need to do,” McKenney added. “This is about restoring trust in state government and restoring trust in bridges.”

Serpa said since the bridge’s closure, public trust in the state’s bridges has worsened.

“There are a considerable number of us who don’t like bridges under the best of circumstances, and we’re leery about taking bridges,” Serpa said. “There’s a lot of trust that needs to be restored. So, we hope to do that before this is over.”

For example, McKenney said he hopes to learn if proper maintenance was performed, if inspections done on the bridge were thorough and overseen, and if RIDOT was looking in the right places during those inspections.

“This is a very unique and complex bridge, and there’s a significant question about whether or not our state agency fully recognized the importance of looking in certain places, with respect to this bridge,” McKenney said. “That’s a little scary.”

Senate Minority Leader Jessica de la Cruz told Target 12 that she’s still anticipating some pushback because of the ongoing litigation.

“But the thing is, if the state’s at fault, we should be honest about it,” de La Cruz said. “It doesn’t matter if you live in East Providence or in Woonsocket. This bridge closure affects the entire state.”

Lawmakers asked for the latest hearing after Target 12 obtained a copy of the long-awaited forensic audit of the Washington Bridge in September, which showed that state officials should have been aware of structural problems with the bridge long before it was closed down in December 2023.

“The timeline is a big question,” de la Cruz added.

Some lawmakers said they have their doubts about whether the hearing will garner any new information.

“I’ll be honest, I don’t expect to learn anything new,” House Minority Whip, Rep. David Place, told Target 12 on Wednesday. “Everything that is out there is in the public record, and I think if there was a potential learn something new, the attorney general would not be giving the go-ahead to potentially swear the director in and testify under oath.”

Place said he believes the hearing will largely serve as an opportunity to appease the public and politicians seeking office next year.

“We’re in essence in an election cycle now and politicians are lining up to run for offices, and they leverage what they have now to benefit themselves later on,” Place said. “I don’t expect that to change one bit tomorrow.”

New this time, though, Place said about a dozen questions from the public may be submitted in Thursday’s hearing. He declined to provide Target 12 with the questions prior to Thursday.

“We want [Alviti] to, if we ask a question for the public, to get a raw answer from the director,” Place said.

Thursday’s hearing is slated to get underway at 2 p.m.

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