Newport City Council Special Meeting – July 15, 2025: Resolution to Save Birthing Center

On July 15, 2025, at 7:00 p.m., the Newport City Council held a special meeting in City Hall Council Chambers to discuss and vote on a resolution advocating for the continued operation of the Noreen Stonor Drexel Birthing Center at Newport Hospital. The meeting lasted approximately two hours and featured emotional testimony from council members and over a dozen community members, all urging Brown University Health to preserve local maternal and newborn care services. The resolution passed unanimously, and the council directed that a recording of the meeting be sent to top Brown Health executives.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Susan Mello (312 Broadway) shared her personal story: she had 16 pregnancies, lost six, and a full-term newborn. Her last two sons were born at Newport Hospital after she ran across the street in labor. She stated her son would not be alive without the birthing center.
• Bart Grimes (retired 40-year Newport Hospital pharmacist) argued that closing the birthing center would betray Noreen Drexel’s legacy. He noted 15 of his siblings and all three of his children were born there. He called the closure a “bad business decision” by Brown University Health and warned it would leave only diagnostics, rehab, and emergency medicine.
• Carol Bazarski (Chair, Newport Hospital Foundation Board) emphasized no decision has been made yet and that Brown Health COO Sarah Frost assured that if closure is considered, there will be opportunities for public input. She acknowledged the birthing center loses money each year and urged advocacy for higher Medicaid reimbursement rates from state legislators.
• Letitia Michelle (33 West Evans, doula) described the birthing center as “a part of our community's foundation.” She highlighted transportation barriers for birthing people, the maternal health crisis for Black women (3–4 times higher mortality), and shared her own story of delivering a full-term stillborn at the hospital. Her daughter Ava, a new RN, dreams of working in the same birthing center. She implored Brown Health leadership to reconsider.
• Cassandra Vall (56 Prospect Hill Street) credited the birthing center for influencing her decision to move to Newport after poor care elsewhere. She noted the birthing center’s mental health support, breastfeeding support, and birthing classes as essential services.
• Linda Lally (Middletown, former birthing center nurse) raised medical questions about transfer times (30 minutes from decision to incision for C-sections), training for first responders (neonatal advanced life support), and whether the Drexel family was notified. She expressed concern about precipitous deliveries in the ER.
• Emily Chandler (Spring Street) described her positive birthing experience and the weekly lactation support group. She asked for concrete next steps for community advocacy.
• Danny Braun (Middletown) expressed fury at the idea that a birthing center must be profitable, calling it a “loss leader” for any business. She demanded transparency on budgets and urged a community plan to fight the closure.
• Judith Rooney (40 Easton Avenue, Portsmouth, active duty Navy) noted that military families rely on the birthing center’s high-quality care. She called it “the Marriott of birthing centers” and said its reputation attracts servicemembers worldwide.
• Rebecca Clark (Ellery Avenue, Middletown, nurse in birthing center for 25 years) emphasized the high volume (about 500 births per year, 50 per month) and the strain on EMS if the center closes. She read a letter from a former patient who said her baby would not be alive without the center.
• Rebecca Gomez (Executive Director, Conexión Latina Newport) stressed that the birthing center has become accessible to the Hispanic community after years of advocacy, with a Spanish-speaking nurse midwife. She warned that closure would force families off-island and lead to births in ambulances or ER.
• Jasmine Wagner (Tiverton) shared her personal connection to Newport Hospital (born there 25 years ago) and her recent positive ER experience. She argued that maternal care affects long-term community health, school systems, and first responder capacity.
• Ida Neary (36 Newport Avenue) stated “budgets are moral documents” and argued the closure is a moral decision that reveals misplaced priorities.
• Tanya Lynch (grandmother) questioned executive salaries (citing figures up to $12 million) while claiming the birthing center is not profitable.
• Dr. Brooke Roebuck (Chair, Pediatrics, Newport Hospital) stated she received no communication from Brown Health about potential closure. She noted that transferring sick babies is often difficult because NICUs at other hospitals (e.g., Women & Infants, Boston Children's) can be full. She warned that ER physicians and firefighters will be forced to handle high-risk newborns if the center closes. She described a recent multi-ambulance transport of a laboring mother as unsustainable.

Discussion Items

• Councilor Stephanie Smyth expressed strong support, calling the potential closure “another attack on women's reproductive health.” She linked the loss of the birthing center to broader trends of middle-income families leaving the island, decreasing school enrollment, and the erosion of community.
• Councilor Xay Khamsyvoravong thanked Brown Health for transparency and noted that the budget decision will be made in the next few weeks (Brown Health’s fiscal year ends September 30). He stressed that the council’s role is to elevate community voices and that the fight to save the birthing center is part of a longer effort to improve primary care reimbursement in Rhode Island.
• Councilor David Carlin expressed concern about added burden on fire/rescue services and the logistical challenges of transporting mothers off-island during bridge construction. He noted that women’s healthcare has been under attack for years and that the birthing center serves patients from across Newport County.
• Councilor Ellen Pinnock shared her personal experience of losing a daughter after being forced to travel to Providence. She called the closure a “social justice issue,” noting that Black women are 3–4 times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes. She described the loving care she received from nurses at the birthing center.
• Councilor Charlie Holder (Mayor) emphasized that the decision affects all families regardless of income or background and thanked the community for their turnout. He expressed frustration that the council does not have direct authority over the hospital but committed to doing everything possible to keep the birthing center open.
• Councilor Jeanne-Marie Napolitano (present, but spoke only briefly earlier) thanked the audience and noted that councilors’ stories were personal, not political.

Key Outcomes

• The resolution “Advocating for the Continued Operation of the Noreen Stonor Drexel Birthing Center at Newport Hospital” was read, discussed, and passed unanimously (7-0, with Councilor Lynn Underwood Ceglie absent but recorded as supporting).
• Councilor David Carlin made a motion, seconded by Councilor Khamsyvoravong, that the city administration ensure a copy of the meeting video be sent to Dr. Thomas (new President of Newport Hospital), Sarah Frost (Chief of Hospital Operations, Brown University Health), and Mr. Fernandez (President and CEO of Brown University Health). The motion passed unanimously.
• Mayor Holder adjourned the meeting with a call to continue the fight beyond the council chambers.
• The council urged residents to contact Brown Health leadership, state legislators, and the Governor’s office to advocate for higher reimbursement rates and to emphasize that the birthing center is a community priority.