Division of Developmental Disabilities
It's National Disability Employment Awareness Month!
It is the 80th anniversary of National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), an annual recognition of the positive impact of people with disabilities in the American workforce. This yearly event began in 1945 as a weeklong national observance of the contributions of people with physical disabilities. In 1988, Congress designated the commemoration as NDEAM, which then evolved to acknowledge the importance of increasing opportunities for people with disabilities, including those with mental health conditions and other nonobvious disabilities, in the workforce.
In 2001, the Office of Disability Employment Policy was created and entrusted to administer NDEAM, including the selection and promotion of its annual theme. This year's NDEAM theme is “Celebrating Value and Talent,” and as part of the lead up to America's 250th anniversary in 2026, this year's observance will highlight the achievements of Americans with disabilities both past and present.
2024 DDD Annual Report
We have published our first Annual Program Report to share key achievements and goals with the I/DD community. To learn about the work the Division has done, please review our 2024 Annual Program Report. If you have any questions or feedback about the report, please let us know by emailing BHDDH.AskDD@bhddh.ri.gov. We hope this information is helpful for you.
Hospital News
Eleanor Slater Hospital and the 2025 Community Health Needs Assessment
ESH is dedicated to understanding and addressing the most pressing health and wellness concerns for the communities we serve. ESH undertook a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) for its service area. The goal of the CHNA is to monitor the health of community members and to identify common and unique challenges across the region. The CHNA informs the development of a Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) to address identified priority needs and align community investments with the highest needs. Read it here.
ESH/ Burrillville High School Career and Technical Education (CTE) Working Together!
A great ESH/ Burrillville High School Career and Technical Education (CTE) collaboration! Meet Eleanor the nurse and her patient. Eleanor was made by the ESH leadership team, and the patient was made by the Burrillville High School CTE Engineering and Construction Management teams! They were recently on display in the Annual Glocester Scarecrow Contest. The BHS Engineering team successfully made the patient's wheels roll, arm wave, and head to light up - powered by solar energy!
Division of Behavioral Health
Locking up your medications can help save lives. Get your free medication lock bag!
Webinar on Mass Violence
If you didn't have a chance to watch the webinar with Dr Joseph Parks exploring the critical issue of Mass Violence in the United States: Definition, Prevalence, Causes, Impacts & Solutions, the PowerPoint slides are available here.
Click here to watch a video of the webinar.
988- The First 3 Years
In July 2022, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline moved to a three-digit number: 988. While still providing free, confidential, 24/7 access to trained crisis counselors, the easy-to-remember number brought in more calls. See the impact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline has had since then. Click here to see the progress 988 has made in Rhode Island in the past three years.
Who We Are
BHDDH is Rhode Island’s second largest state department, with more than 1,200 employees, touching the lives of more than 50,000 Rhode Islanders.
What We Do
We license and oversee a large network of providers that offer services for MH, SUD, DD. We operate the only LTACH Hospital in the state, and the state’s Psychiatric hospital.
Get Help
If you are in a non-emergency crisis, call/text 988. BH Link also offers confidential behavioral health services.
BH LINK- For confidential support and to get connected to care:
Visit their 24-hour/7-day Triage Center:
975 Waterman Ave., East Providence, RI
Licensing / Report Suspected Abuse
Join our team - BHDDH is Hiring!
We’re seeking compassionate and dedicated individuals to join our team. If you or someone you know is looking for an opportunity to make an impact, check out our open positions by scanning the QR code.
