A Message from DHS Director Courtney E. Hawkins regarding DHS Measures for COVID-19

Published on Monday, March 16, 2020

As news about the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) continues to develop, I want to share with you the steps we are taking at the RI Department of Human Services to prepare and keep you connected to the services and benefits you need.

I want to stress that the health and safety of our customers and employees is the utmost importance at RI DHS. Prevention is essential as this public health emergency continues to evolve.

This is a good opportunity to remind you of our other customer service channels that do not require a visit to our contact center. You can:

Call us at 1-855-MY-RIDHS (1-855-697-4347) from 8:30am – 4:00pm, Monday through Friday.

Login to your Customer Portal account to access your benefits. Customer portal Instructions can be found on the DHS website (visit http://www.dhs.ri.gov/Programs/index.php).

We will continue to follow developments with the Coronavirus in Rhode Island with our partners in state government. Our commitment is to keep our customers updated as the situation evolves in the event we need to make any changes to the way we do business in order to appropriately respond to the Coronavirus. Our priority is, and will continue to be, ensuring that Rhode Islanders have access to their public benefits.

Please be sure that you are aware of the following sources of information and are checking back with these sources frequently:

The State of Rhode Island Department of Health - Cornavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) page; see link below

CDC Center for Disease Control and Prevention - Cornonavirus (COVID-19) page; see link below

The Rhode Island Department of Health has launched a 24-hour hotline for anyone with questions about the Coronavirus (401-222-8022). Residents can also call 211 after 4:30pm for assistance. I also encourage everyone take preventative actions as recommended by the CDC Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (visit https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/index.html).

Rhode Islanders are also encouraged to contact the BH Link if you or anyone you know or care about is experiencing a behavioral health care crisis (see link below).