Community members will rally Tuesday evening to oppose the potential closure of the only labor and delivery unit on Aquidneck Island.
The Community Rally to Save the Noreen Stonor Drexel Birthing Center at Newport Hospital is scheduled for 6 p.m. July 29 on the lawn outside the Friends’ Meetinghouse on Marcus Wheatland Boulevard.
The event comes after Brown University Health announced it is considering shutting down the birthing center. Nearly 500 babies were born at the facility last year, with more than 300 births recorded there so far in 2025.
The Newport City Council unanimously approved a resolution July 15 urging Brown Health to keep the center open and calling on state leaders to intervene. The resolution warns that closure would force expectant mothers to “travel significantly farther to access delivery services, which could pose serious risks in emergencies and present undue hardship on families with limited transportation options.”
The resolution also notes that closure would strain the city’s Fire and Rescue Department, whose personnel and ambulances would be “increasingly called upon to transport expectant mothers to off-island hospitals” during medical emergencies, potentially diverting resources from other critical incidents.
Organizers are asking attendees to bring signs and wear purple to show support for maternal health. Local families, health advocates, doulas, elected officials and community members are expected to participate.
For more information, contact Stephanie Smyth at steph.smyth18@gmail.com or 401-318-1132. Smyth serves as an at-large member of the Newport City Council.
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