Community Advisory Panel
A Message from the President of Newport Hospital
I’m pleased to share that the Noreen Stonor Drexel Birthing Center will remain open, following a thorough review, completion of an independent assessment and strong community involvement. However, maintaining this service requires requirean additional $4.9 M in new and sustained annual revenues that would need to come from increased state funding and/or philanthropic support.
Throughout this process, we have remained committed to transparency and to listening closely to our community. To ensure we received broad input, we convened a Community Advisory Panel (CAP), and I am deeply grateful to its members for their time, guidance, advocacy, and partnership. I am pleased that the Newport Hospital CAP members apprised of this news are supportive of remaining open while Brown University Health seeks additional state and philanthropic funding.
The call to action is that we need the support and advocacy of our community and policymakers to secure these resources so we can continue providing essential care close to home. This is about protecting access to care for families across our region. With continued partnership and support, we are confident in our ability to sustain this vital service for years to come.
Sincerely,
Tenny Thomas, MD
President, Newport Hospital
About the Community Advisory Panel
Newport Hospital has assembled a Community Advisory Panel (CAP) made up of staff, patients, representatives from philanthropic and community organizations, and maternal health experts, to ensure that a broad range of community perspectives and needs are reflected in our planning for the long-term future of the Noreen Stonor Drexel Birthing Center.
We are grateful to the members of the panel for generously contributing their time, experience, and perspectives to an important dialogue about the future of maternity care in our region. Their recommendations and final report will help guide us as we evaluate all aspects of this important and valued program.
CAP Members
- Lori Allan, RN – The Noreen Stonor Drexel Birthing Center
- Carol Bazarsky – Newport Hospital Foundation Board
- Emily Blosser, MD – Obstetrician-Gynecologist, Medical Director, Newport Women’s Health
- Alex Hammer Ducas – Hammer Strategies
- Rebecca Homer, RN – The Noreen Stonor Drexel Birthing Center
- Rebecca Hurd, CNA, CLC – The Noreen Stonor Drexel Birthing Center
- Elizabeth Lynn – van Beuren Charitable Foundation
- Thomas McGue, MD – Newport Hospital Foundation Board, Former Newport Hospital Chief Medical Officer
- Latisha Michel, CLC, CBE, CHW – Certified Perinatal Doula, Ready Set Latch Go, LLC
- Sydney Ormerod – Women’s Resource Center, Newport Health Equity Zone (HEZ)
- Alexandra Quick, PT, DPT – Mae Physiotherapy
- Methodius Tuuli, MD – Chief of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Women & Infants Hospital
Facilitator: Carrie Bridges, Vice President of Community Health and Equity at Brown University Health
Meeting Updates
The panel will convene four times to hear and discuss data on quality and safety of care, financial viability, opportunities and challenges. In the interests of time and open dialogue, meetings are limited to CAP members and facilitators.