Bills protect access to maternal services as future of Newport birthing center is considered
STATE HOUSE – On the same day Rep. Lauren H. Carson submitted a resolution declaring tomorrow Maternal Health Awareness Day in Rhode Island, she introduced two bills aimed at protecting maternal health care services in Rhode Island and on Aquidneck Island in particular.
The bills, which are the first pieces of legislation Representative Carson has submitted this year, would permanently establish a statewide advisory board to oversee implementation of the state’s maternal health care strategic plans, and make the closure or significant reduction of services at any birthing center subject to the requirements of the Hospital Conversions Act.
“Protecting maternal health and keeping Newport Hospital’s birthing center open are my highest legislative priorities this year,” said Representative Carson (D-Dist. 75, Newport). “I want to make it very clear how critical the Noreen Stonor Drexel Birthing Center is to the health of Aquidneck Island, and that our state should stand firmly behind it as a pivotal health care resource for Rhode Island.”
The first bill establishes a process under the Hospital Conversions Act that must be followed if there is a proposal to close, move or significantly reduce the services of any birthing center in the state. Under the bill, any operator proposing such a change would need to submit an application to the Department of Health detailing its finances; the proposal’s various impacts on patients, staff and the community; projected changes in maternal morbidity and newborn outcomes; continuity plans for prenatal patients past 20 weeks’ gestation; and more.
The bill further requires a public hearing and an independent expert review to evaluate sustainability, feasible restructuring alternatives and pathways to avoid closure or reduction of services.
The legislation would prohibit approval unless the Department of Health finds that the birthing center cannot reasonably sustained any other way, shall not exacerbate maternal or newborn racial economic or geographic disparities, and that safe birthing access shall remain available to the affected population.
The requirements would apply statewide, although Representative Carson’s concerns are largely directed at Brown University Health’s current consideration of the future of the Stonor Drexel Birthing Center.
“The Stonor Drexel Birthing Center delivers more than 500 births annually, in addition to providing all other kinds of vital maternal care, including emergency care, to our community. This bill is intended to ensure that our island and all of Rhode Island has safe, equitable access to vital maternal health services like those that Stonor very successfully provides,” said Representative Carson.
The second bill, titled the Rhode Island Maternal Health Improvement and Equity Act of 2026, would establish permanent statewide support for maternal health, creating a permanent Maternal Health Advisory Board. The board would oversee implementation of maternal health strategic plan that is currently under development through a five-year federal Maternal Health Innovation Grant. The bill would also require the Department of Health to develop and maintain a maternal health data and surveillance unit to collect, monitor and analyze data about maternal outcomes.
Additionally, the bill directs the Department of Health to establish a maternal health workforce development program and to award community-based maternal health access grants to expand local supports. The legislation appropriates $2.7 million annually for the program beginning fiscal year 2027.
Representative Carson also introduced a resolution (2026-H 7263), which was immediately approved by the House, designating tomorrow, Jan. 23, as Maternal Health Awareness Day in Rhode Island to promote understanding of the critical importance of good maternal health care.
The resolution, which was cosponsored by House Majority Whip Katherine S. Kazarian (D-Dist. 63, East Providence, Pawtucket) and more than 25 other representatives, cites Centers of Disease Control and Prevention statistics indicating that the United States has the highest maternal morbidity rate among all wealthy nations, and that more than 80 percent of those deaths are preventable.
“All pregnant individuals should have access to comprehensive and timely prenatal services across the health care continuum,” the resolution states.