Those of us fighting for the future of the Noreen Stonor Drexel Birthing Center at Newport Hospital celebrated several wins in the state budget enacted in June: $1.6 million in extra funding and significant new requirements that must be met before any hospital is allowed to close or reduce services at a birthing center.
Newport Hospital operator Brown University Health should be pleased as well, since in addition to the $1.6 million, the budget approved by the General Assembly also increased Medicaid rates and provided additional funding for hospitals for uncompensated care.
Even so, Brown Health has not made any public statement about plans for the birthing center beyond this year, nor about how it plans to raise the rest of the $4.9 million it has asserted it needs each year to keep the center open. While the hospital indicated it hoped philanthropy would make up some of it, there have been no apparent campaigns, nor announcements of major gifts.
Those of us in the Coalition for Newport Hospital Birthing Center understand that this fight has not yet been won. We continue to meet regularly to make plans for transforming the center into a world-class facility for our community. We know that at some point, the hospital is going to make plans beyond this year, and we will work tirelessly to ensure that the objective is nothing less than providing excellent healthcare to those giving birth here.
So while Newporters are enjoying the various festivals, boat trips and beach days that make summer the best time of year here, I urge all of you not to toss those “Save Newport Birthing Center” signs just yet. Until Brown Health has publicly made a long-term commitment to this vital public health resource, it isn’t safe yet. Please know that our coalition is still working to ensure the future of the birthing center, and we will continue to need the impassioned support our community has shown for it.
-Rep. Lauren H. Carson
D-District 75, Newport
