Newport Hospital has appointed a 12-member Community Advisory Panel to evaluate the future of the Noreen Stonor Drexel Birthing Center, drawing cautious praise from a state lawmaker who urged transparency throughout the review process.
The panel, announced Tuesday, includes patients, maternal health experts, hospital employees and representatives from philanthropic and community organizations. Members will provide guidance and recommendations as the hospital reviews operations at the birthing center.
“I want to thank Brown University Health for recognizing how deeply the birthing center issue affects Aquidneck Island families,” said Rep. Lauren Carson, D-Newport, in a statement Wednesday. “Appointing a community panel is an important first step toward meaningful dialogue and shared understanding.”
The panel members are:
- Lori Allan, RN, the birthing center
- Carol Bazarsky, Newport Hospital Foundation Board
- Emily Blosser, MD, obstetrician-gynecologist and medical director at Newport Women’s Health
- Alex Hammer Ducas, Social Enterprise Greenhouse
- Rebecca Homer, RN, the birthing center
- Rebecca Hurd, CNA, CLC, the birthing center
- Elizabeth Lynn, van Beuren Charitable Foundation
- Thomas McGue, MD, Newport Hospital Foundation Board and former hospital chief medical officer
- Latisha Michel, CLC, CBE, CHW, certified perinatal doula at Ready Set Latch Go LLC
- Sydney Ormerod, Women’s Resource Center and Newport Health Equity Zone
- Alexandra Quick, PT, DPT, Mae Physiotherapy
- Methodius Tuuli, MD, chief of obstetrics and gynecology at Women & Infants Hospital
“We are grateful to the members of the panel for generously agreeing to bring their time, experience and perspectives to an important dialogue about the future of maternity care in our region,” said Dr. Tenny Thomas, president and chief medical officer of Newport Hospital.
The panel’s first meeting is scheduled for November, with additional sessions planned through spring 2026.
Carson urged Brown University Health to ensure the advisory process remains open and transparent, with regular updates to the public and opportunities for community input.
“Transparency and trust will be essential,” Carson said. “Families need clear information and confidence in the process as decisions are made about the future of maternal care on Aquidneck Island.”
The lawmaker emphasized the birthing center’s importance to the region’s health care infrastructure.
“This facility is not just a hospital department — it is an umbilical cord to safe maternal care for families and a cornerstone of equitable health care access in our region,” she said. “Closing the birthing center would create a dangerous maternity care desert on Aquidneck Island.”
Carson said families should not have to cross bridges or travel 40 minutes during childbirth to access safe, high-quality maternal care.
Newport Hospital, founded in 1873, is a 129-bed nonprofit acute care hospital affiliated with Brown University Health.