As CODAC President and CEO Linda Hurley brings Ocean State Stories on a tour of her organization’s recently opened Fully Integrated Community Health Center at 45 Royal Little Drive, she greets staff with smiles and praise. They return both. The 20,628-square-foot center is the realization of the proverbial long-held dream for CODAC.
Anyone is welcome here, whether for the treatment of substance use disorders, CODAC’s specialty since the organization was founded in 1971, or to provide a broad range of services including medical and psychiatric care, maternal and women’s health care, gender-affirming care, dentistry, podiatry, a pharmacy, and help with housing, employment, probation, and food insecurity.
“Senator Reed called it a ‘one-stop shop,’ ” at the ribbon-cutting ceremony last month, Hurley told Ocean State Stories. U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse helped secure federal funding for the center. CODAC operates two mobile medical units and other centers in Cranston, East Providence, Newport, Saunderstown and Warwick, but in scope and mission, none compares to 45 Royal Little Drive.
In an interview after the Ocean State Stories tour, Hurley said that “when someone walks through the door and tells us what they need, we’ll help them get there. Simply put, that is what whole-person care is all about.”
She gave the example of “someone who comes to Royal Little and says, ‘I don’t have food for my children tonight. I don’t have a job. I’ve lost my health insurance and I’m depressed and anxious. If I can’t feed my kids, if I don’t have a job, if all these things are not in order for me, I’m still going to be anxious and I’m probably still going to use a substance because whatever you’re going to give me as a prescription probably isn’t going to work when I have this many concerns.’
“That person can get food at the new site,” Hurley said. “That person can get an appointment and perhaps even meet the same day with someone from the [state] Department of Labor and Training who can help them look at not just employment but even career path development.”
That person can also receive mental health treatment and primary care from a physician.
At the May ribbon-cutting, the center was praised by other leaders, who were quoted in a press release.
“Resources like CODAC’s new health care center are providing a pathway to better communities, and a road to recovery for those in need,” Governor Dan McKee said.
Said House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi: “Congratulations to CODAC on this exciting expansion, which will broaden access to wraparound services and help more Rhode Islanders in a very meaningful way.”
Mayor Brett P. Smiley said that “by providing access to ‘wraparound services,’ we’re ensuring that individuals receive the comprehensive care they need to heal and succeed… As we empower our neighbors, it’s critical that we continue to invest in holistic, compassionate care, which is the work CODAC Health champions in our city daily.”
According to the press release, “community partners who will have dedicated space include Brown University School of Public Health; University of Massachusetts, Chan School of Medicine; Rhode Island Department of Labor & Training; Rhode Island Department of Corrections; Rhode Island Department of Health & Human Services; HOPE Initiative and Re-Entry; and Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island.
“This collaboration with CODAC is at the heart of Neighborhood’s mission to serve Rhode Islanders. CODAC’s programs and partnerships at the new Providence facility are designed to break down barriers to high-quality behavioral health treatment and recovery services for those who need it most,” said Peter Marino, President & CEO of Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island.
In her interview, Hurley said that CODAC’s Fully Integrated Community Health Center, which she believes is the first of its kind in America, provides care to anyone, regardless of their ability to pay or their insurance status. And she detailed some of the center’s other features.
“We have the Wellness Center, where we have individuals or entities that have offered to provide free yoga, acupuncture, and tai chi. There’s a group that has a grant to provide free physical therapy. So if someone comes to our building and has a doctor’s order prescription for physical therapy, they’ll be able to just get that. We’re talking to the [state] Department of Healthy Aging, which is very important for many of the folks that come to use.” Those conversations might lead to the department having a presence at 45 Royal Little.
Hurley also hopes to open a conversation with the state Department of Children Youth and Families’ Child Protective Services division that also might lead to DCYF opening a satellite office there.
“I think we’ve come a long way in 30 years,” Hurley said of her tenure as CODAC’s leader.
Hurley, a resident of Aquidneck Island, is a graduate of Salve Regina University.
Copyright © 2025 Salve Regina University. Originally published by OceanStateStories.org.
