R.I. Gen. Laws § 40.1-2-18
The department is hereby authorized and directed, by the attending physician at any of the institutions or by such other physician as the director of the department may, from time to time, designate, to use every available means to ascertain the existence of any dangerous, infectious, or contagious disease, including syphilis in the infectious stages and gonococcus infection, among the inmates, prisoners, patients, and pupils of those institutions, and to make examination of any of them suspected of having syphilis in the infectious stages or gonococcus infection, and immediately to investigate the source of the infection, and if ascertained, to report the same to the department of health; and any person committed to or received into any of those institutions by, through, or under any order of court or any process of law shall be deemed to be an inmate, prisoner, patient, or pupil of the institution, as the case may be, within the provisions of §§ 40.1-2-16 - 40.1-2-21.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 40.1-2-18