Requesting That a Condition Precedent Be Placed on All Future State Funding or Grant Assistance to Brown University Health and Affiliated Entities to Ensure Maintenance of the Newport Hospital Birthing Center

WHEREAS, The Newport Hospital Birthing Center provides vital inpatient labor and delivery services to the community of Newport and surrounding areas, ensuring safe and timely access to hospital-based obstetric care; and

WHEREAS, The continuous operation of a hospital-based birthing facility is essential to maternal and neonatal health, including the availability of obstetric physicians, certified nurse midwives, anesthesia services, nursing staff, and neonatal support on a continuous basis; and

WHEREAS, The State of Rhode Island, through appropriations, grants, Medicaid payments, supplemental payments, rate enhancements, capital distributions, and other forms of financial assistance, provides significant funding and support to Brown University Health and its affiliated entities, including hospitals; and

WHEREAS, It is critical to ensure that state funding is contingent upon the maintenance and operation of essential healthcare services, including hospital-based birthing facilities, to protect public health and access to care; and

WHEREAS, For purposes of this resolution, "maintain and operate the Newport Hospital Birthing Center" shall mean: 1. Continuous, year-round operation of inpatient labor and delivery services at Newport Hospital, without seasonal, intermittent, or temporary suspension; 2. Twenty-four hour, seven-day-per-week availability of hospital-based obstetric services, including on-site or immediately available obstetric physicians, certified nurse midwives, anesthesia services, nursing staff, and neonatal support consistent with safe delivery standards; 3. Staffing levels sufficient to support safe and timely deliveries, including emergency obstetric care, without diversion, routine transfer, or redirection of patients to other facilities due to staffing limitations; 4. No reduction in the scope of services offered at the Birthing Center including, but not limited to:

(i) Elimination of inpatient labor and delivery;

(ii) Conversion to outpatient-only, triage-only, or stabilization-only services;

(iii) Routine diversion of laboring patients to other hospitals;

(iv) Restrictions that effectively require planned deliveries to occur off-island; and 5. No administrative, financial, or operational action that renders the Birthing Center functionally unavailable to the community it serves, regardless of whether the facility remains nominally "open"; and

WHEREAS, Brown University Health and its affiliated entities shall certify compliance with this condition to the Executive Office of Health and Human Services, the Rhode Island Department of Health, and the House and Senate Fiscal Advisors prior to the release of any state funds, annually thereafter, and within ten (10) days of any change that could reasonably affect compliance; and

WHEREAS, Failure to comply with this condition shall result in the immediate cessation of all state fund distributions and may trigger recoupment of funds distributed during periods of noncompliance, and no waiver, emergency exception, or administrative approval shall supersede this requirement unless explicitly authorized by the General Assembly; and

WHEREAS, This condition shall remain in effect as a continuing requirement for all fiscal years following the passage of this resolution unless expressly repealed by the General Assembly;

RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island hereby requests that a condition precedent be placed on all future state funds, grants, supplemental payments, rate enhancements, Medicaid payments, capital distributions, or any other form of financial assistance to Brown University Health and any affiliated entity requiring that the Newport Hospital Birthing Center remain fully operational in accordance with the standards set forth above; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is directed to transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Executive Office of Health and Human Services, the Rhode Island Department of Health, Brown University Health, and the leadership of all affiliated entities. EXPLANATION BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL OF HOUSERESOLUTION REQUESTING THAT A CONDITION PRECEDENT BE PLACED ON ALL FUTURE STATE FUNDING OR GRANT ASSISTANCE TO BROWN UNIVERSITY HEALTH AND AFFILIATED ENTITIES TO ENSURE MAINTENANCE OF THE NEWPORT HOSPITAL BIRTHING CENTER *** This resolution would condition the distribution of any state funds to Brown University Health on the continued operation of a birthing center in the city of Newport.