Newport council urges Brown University Health to keep city’s only maternity ward open amid budget cuts

NEWPORT, R.I. — Despite nearly 500 babies being born at Newport Hospital in 2024, Brown University Health is mulling a potential closure of the city’s only maternity ward.

If the center shuts down, the closest alternative would be at least a 45-minute drive away, a dangerous delay for people in active labor.

An ambulance ride to Providence would tie up one of only two rescue units available in our Newport.

On Tuesday night, the Newport City Council unanimously passed a resolution urging Brown University Health to keep the birthing center open. Sponsored by all council members, the resolution comes amid growing concerns over potential budget cuts within the Brown Health system. While no final decision has been made, the issue has gained urgency following the passage of Rhode Island’s new state budget on July 1, which allocated tens of millions of dollars in additional funding for hospitals.

“We were in a health care crisis,” House Speaker Joe Shekarchi said in June. “Hospitals needed more money.”

Despite the infusion of state support, Brown Health continues to explore cost-saving measures.

A Brown Health spokesperson said Tuesday there have been no immediate changes to budget, staffing, or operations, but added that definitive decisions are expected in the coming weeks.

This comes on the heels of the United Nurses & Allied Professionals (UNAP) Local 5098, which represents nurses and healthcare workers at Rhode Island Hospital and Hasbro Children’s Hospital, voting to authorize a strike.

Union leaders say the vote delivers a strong message: employees feel disrespected, undervalued, and unrecognized under Brown University Health’s current contract proposal.