McKee adds $1.6 million for Newport Hospital birthing center to revised budget amid closure threat
Gov. Dan McKee has added $1.6 million to his fiscal 2027 budget proposal to support Brown University Health's labor-and-delivery unit at Newport Hospital. The funding would come from state settlement funds from the 2024 RIBridges data breach. The budget amendment follows pressure from lawmakers and community advocates after Brown Health suggested it might close the Noreen Stonor Drexel Birthing Center due to financial pressures. The hospital later committed to keeping the center open contingent on additional state and philanthropic funding.
