by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island Current
January 26, 2026
Aquidneck Island residents breathed a sigh of relief when Brown University Health committed to keeping the Noreen Stonor Drexel Birthing Center at Newport Hospital open through Sept. 30, 2026.
But Rep. Lauren Carson, a Newport Democrat, remains worried about the future of the award-winning labor and delivery unit and the thousands of residents whose health depends upon its services. That’s why Carson has introduced a bill putting up more guardrails against birthing center closures or service reductions.
The legislation, introduced Jan. 22, one day before national Maternal Health Awareness Day, sets up a rigorous review process led by the Rhode Island Department of Health before any birthing center can close, relocate or cut capacity or hours by 25% or more.
“This issue is a very high priority not only for me but for all of my constituents,” Carson said in an interview Monday. “If you didn’t give birth at Newport Hospital, you were born there.”
Hospital executives last year said low service levels and lack of funding were why it was considering closing the birthing center. The health care operator reported a $41.2 million profit for fiscal year 2025, which ended in September, according to audited year-end financial statements.
Backlash from residents, local and state leaders and health care advocates prompted Brown Health to reconsider its cost-cutting move, with the health care operator pledging to keep the labor and delivery unit open through the end of its next fiscal year. A Community Advisory Panel set up by Brown Health held its first meeting in November to evaluate the birthing center’s future.
Carson was hopeful the appointed panel would be inclusive of the broad swath of community members affected. But so far, she hasn’t heard anything about the 12-member panel or its work, nor was she aware of when its second meeting was taking place.
“It’s not really clear to me or my constituents what’s going on there,” Carson said. “I’m the state representative. I would think if they were sharing information with the community, I would at least read about it in the newspaper.”
Members of the community advisory panel were asked to sign confidentiality agreements.
The panel was expected to hold its second meeting Monday, but the event was postponed because of the snowstorm, Nicole Searles, a spokesperson for Newport Hospital, said in an email Monday. The group will now meet next in late February, although a specific date has not been determined, Searles said. Four total meetings are expected.
“Newport Hospital is actively exploring a range of potential strategies to ensure the birthing center’s long-term future and to preserve access to high-quality women’s health care,” Searles said. “Programs like the birthing center, which provide 24-hour access to critical services to respond to any women’s health emergency, are inherently resource-intense. Sustaining a high-quality program requires dedicated investment in recruiting and retaining specialized physicians and staff to ensure exceptional care.”
Searles continued, “We appreciate Rep Carson’s, and the entire Aquidneck Island delegation’s, continued support of our shared purpose of finding a sustainable path forward that ensures continued access to high-quality women’s health for our community.”
Carson’s bill, which has not yet been scheduled for a hearing, would require the owner of any birthing center to seek approval from the state health department, submitting a formal application at least 180 days beforehand. Notices to municipal leaders, patients, emergency services agencies, media outlets and state legislative leaders would also be required.
The application must include expansive financial documentation — five years of audited financial statements, five-year forward financial projections, capacity reviews, cash on hand, endowment and investments — alongside details on workforce, services, patient load and proposed transition plan. A comparative analysis of three alternatives to closing, including sharing staff with other area health care or facilities and community partnerships, would also be required.
The health department director would be required to review the application, holding at least two public hearings and consulting an independent expert — paid for by the applicant — to consider “sustainability, feasible restructuring alternatives, and pathways to avoid closure or significant reduction of services.”
The health department director can only authorize a closure or reduction in birthing center services if the operator demonstrates “clear and convincing evidence” that the facility cannot be “reasonably sustained” and that there are no other feasible alternatives, according to the bill. The proposed closure also cannot worsen outcomes for maternal or newborn health, racial, economic or geographic disparities, according to the proposed legislation.
Failure to comply with the state review process and application requirements would result in fines of up to $25,000 per violation per day.
Existing state law under the Hospital Conversions Act already requires primary care and emergency service operations to seek health department approval prior to closure. But the review process is shorter (90 days versus 180) and the scope of considerations narrower.
“I really wanted to open this up to discuss a very broad set of issues related to birthing centers,” Carson said. “I wanted to make sure we’re reviewing a wide variety of factors before we come to a conclusion.”
Annemarie Beardsworth, a spokesperson for the Rhode Island Department of Health, referred to the existing law governing regulatory reviews for hospital closures in an emailed statement Monday. She did not comment directly on Carson’s proposal.
Lisa Tomasso, senior vice president of the Hospital Association of Rhode Island, which represents 16 hospitals and health care facilities in Rhode Island, including Newport Hospital, remained noncommittal in a statement Monday. She pledged to review Carson’s proposal and work with her as the legislative process continues.
A companion bill has not yet been introduced in the Rhode Island Senate. Carson’s bill has also not been scheduled for an initial hearing.
The legislation, if approved, would take effect immediately, guaranteeing its application to a potential closure of the Newport birthing center since Brown Health’s new fiscal year starts on Oct. 1.
GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.
- 5:43 pmUpdated to include additional details about the next scheduled meeting of the Community Advisory Panel for the Newport Hospital birthing center.
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