03/11/2026
Tina Macdonald and I went to the Rhode Island senate last week (in a snow storm) to testify on behalf of the residents of Rhode Island who desperately need in home care of their feet. In home care of feet by nursing is currently prohibited in Rhode Island. Podiatry does not provide the service because routine care of feet is not a medical issue. Nail salons are an option but are not medically trained nor are they allowed to do home visits.
If you are home bound what are the options.
The legislators all agree that residents should have the care. But the board of nursing seems to be absent and the podiatrists and Department of health are trying but because they don’t understand nursing they want medical over-site for routine care of feet (which Medicare says is not a medical issue). Here’s the rub. There are not enough providers to provide care in Rhode Island let alone offer oversite. So is it better to provide no care? - I think not.
I get the safety concern but there’s something blocking understanding of what nursing is capable of doing. 51/52 states (Rhode Island is the last hold out) and Canada allow nurses, who have had the training, to take care of people’s feet.
Politics preventing care … not ok.