Newport Hospital today announced that the Noreen Stonor Drexel Birthing Center will remain open following a thorough review, completion of an independent assessment and strong community involvement. Supporting this service into the future will require an additional $4.9 M in sustained and new annual revenues that would need to come from increased state funding and philanthropic support. The hospital identified the resources needed to sustain a quality birthing center and will immediately launch an aggressive effort to secure additional funding.
“Throughout this process, we have remained committed to transparency and to listening closely to our community,” said Tenny Thomas, MD, president of Newport Hospital. “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.”
Newport Hospital engaged consultants Kaufman Hall to conduct a comprehensive review, evaluating perinatal quality and safety against national Level I standards, as well as the program’s long-term sustainability.
The review found that the Birthing Center delivers safe, quality care supported by strong clinical commitment and 24/7 obstetric, pediatric, and anesthesia coverage. It also identified areas requiring focused attention and investment, including workforce sustainability, readiness for high-acuity, low-frequency events, and ongoing operational reliability in a low-volume setting. Based on these findings, hospital leadership has established a clear path forward to strengthen and sustain the program.
“The independent review affirmed the quality and safety of care delivered by our clinical teams and outlined the additional investments needed to ensure the program remains strong and financially sustainable,” said Dr. Thomas. “State and philanthropic investments are essential to improving care across Rhode Island and maintaining quality local services, such as the birthing center. 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.”