A growing coalition of Newport-area organizations is calling on Brown University Health to publicly commit to preserving the Noreen Stonor Drexel Birthing Center at Newport Hospital — and is mobilizing residents to make their voices heard at the Rhode Island State House next month.
The Coalition for Newport Hospital Birthing Center, which includes more than a dozen civic, labor, health and neighborhood groups, released a statement Friday urging Brown Health to provide a clear public timeline for its decision-making process, commit to maintaining local maternal healthcare access, and explore all sustainable alternatives before any reduction or closure of services.
“Potential closure or restructuring is still under consideration,” the coalition said in its statement, noting that Brown Health recently reported an $18 million operating loss driven largely by its Massachusetts facilities. “Financial losses outside Rhode Island should not be used to justify the closure or reduction of essential maternal healthcare services on Aquidneck Island.”
Background
The birthing center’s future has been in question since last July, when Brown Health said it was exploring cost-cutting options in Rhode Island — including potentially shuttering the Newport unit. Public pressure from residents and local and state leaders prompted executives to keep the center open and funded through Sept. 30.
Brown Health concluded the first quarter of its new fiscal year, which ended Dec. 31, with a $17.6 million operating loss — a roughly $35 million swing compared with the same period in 2024, according to Rhode Island Current. The losses are being driven by St. Anne’s Hospital in Fall River and Morton Hospital in Taunton, two Massachusetts facilities Brown Health acquired from bankrupt Steward Health Care in 2024, which together reported more than $22 million in operating losses in fiscal year 2025. Brown Health’s Rhode Island hospitals — including Rhode Island Hospital, Miriam and Bradley — finished that same year in the black.
On a call with investors last week, Brown Health Chief Financial Officer Peter Markell described Massachusetts as “still our major challenge” while calling its Rhode Island facilities “consistently profitable.” He acknowledged the system would need to take “a hard look” at expenses but said prospective cuts would “heavily focus” on Massachusetts. Still, he drew a pointed distinction when it came to the Newport birthing center specifically.
“We want to run a first-class, high-quality birthing center in Newport, but the revenue has got to be there,” Markell said.
Hospital executives have previously cited declining demand at the unit, which has reported roughly 400 births annually in recent years. Newport Hospital ended fiscal year 2025 with a $3.8 million operating loss, though Markell still characterized it as a “performing” facility.
Earlier this week, Rep. Lauren H. Carson called on Brown Health to publicly commit to keeping the birthing center open, warning that continued state support — including hundreds of millions of dollars in state-directed Medicaid payments — should be contingent on the system meeting its obligations to Rhode Island communities. Carson and Sen. Dawn Euer have also introduced companion bills that would require a rigorous review process before any birthing center could be closed or have services reduced; neither bill has been scheduled for a hearing.
The financial picture faces additional pressure from looming federal policy changes. Brown Health projects between $100 million and $200 million in net annual operating losses from restricted Medicaid eligibility and funding cuts under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Broad community support
The coalition represents a wide cross-section of the Newport community. Signatories include Moms Over Margins, Newport Partnership for Families, Child and Family Services, Conexión Latina, Newport Fire Chief Harp Donnelly, Newport Pride, the League of Women Voters RI, the Newport Public Education Foundation, the Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians of Newport, the National Education Association of Rhode Island, Newport Bridge, the Rhode Island AFL-CIO, SEIU 1199NE, the Women’s Resource Center, the Newport Health Equity Zone, the Newport Democratic City Committee, The Point Association, the Off Broadway Neighborhood Association and the Newport County Branch NAACP.
Stakes are high, coalition says
The coalition warns that if the birthing center closes or reduces services, patients would most likely need to travel to Providence for labor and delivery — creating longer travel times, added stress on families, higher costs and increased strain on municipal emergency transportation.
The impacts, the group said, would fall hardest on those least able to absorb them.
“These impacts would fall most heavily on families with limited transportation options, lower incomes, language barriers, or inflexible work and childcare arrangements,” the coalition said, adding that a closure could worsen existing disparities in maternal health outcomes for communities of color, immigrant families and others already facing systemic barriers to care.
Calls for transparency
The coalition also raised concerns about the lack of public visibility into the Community Advisory Panel convened last fall to assess the birthing center’s operations. The 12-member panel has met twice — in November and February — with a third meeting scheduled for April 28. The panel is expected to issue its recommendations this summer, though no definitive timeline for a final decision has been made public. The coalition noted a decision could come within weeks or months.
The group is urging Brown Health and Newport Hospital leadership to be more forthcoming.
“Decisions of this magnitude — affecting access to essential healthcare — must include public input and clear communication,” the coalition said.
The coalition is also calling on the state to play a stronger role, urging targeted funding, workforce pipeline investments and recognition of local birthing services as essential regional infrastructure.
Lobby Day set for April 9
Community members are invited to participate in a Lobby Day at the Rhode Island State House on Thursday, April 9, at 3 p.m.
Residents can find more information and resources at savenewportbirthingcenter.org.
