With Newport Hospital's birthing center at risk amid budget woes, the city council is fired up
The Newport City Council is fired up about the potential closure of the birthing center, and it's holding a special meeting at 7 p.m. to discuss a resolution urging Brown Health and Newport Hospital to maintain all maternity services at the hospital.
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Tonight's council meeting also comes after my colleague Alexa Gagosz
reported that at least 300 women has their annual OB-GYN appointments scheduled at the Newport Women's Health Services at Newport Hospital
Related
:
The bigger picture:
Council resolutions are nonbinding, but they can influence decision-making if enough residents voice their displeasure about a decision like this one.
The resolution is sponsored by Councilman
a Democrat who appears to have a bright future in Rhode Island politics. Leadership at Brown Health knows this, and might want to avoid a public fight with a future statewide officeholder if it can find cuts elsewhere.
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Khamsyvoravong sent an email to constituents this week with a gloomy subject line: 'The Last Generation of Newporters?'
'Eliminating Newport's Birthing Center will immediately impact the bottom line of the city of Newport and will have devastating impacts on our community's ability to attract families and equitably serve those that are here,' Khamsyvoravong wrote.
He urged Newport residents to send a message to Dr. Thomas.
'It's important that he understand, on day one, that access to women and family health is a priority for this community,' Khamsyvoravong wrote.
This story first appeared in Rhode Map, our free newsletter about Rhode Island that also contains information about local events, links to interesting stories, and more. If you'd like to receive it via email Monday through Friday,
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Dan McGowan can be reached at
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