U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse joined Care New England and hospital leadership to tour the construction site of the new Brown University Labor and Delivery Center and the Women’s Health Research Institute at Women & Infants Hospital on Tuesday.  The project is currently underway and expected to be completed in December 2024. The senators assisted in securing $803,000 in federal funding for the project.

 The center will comprise a three-story addition including twenty labor and delivery rooms, nurses’ stations, a staff lounge, a locker room, and management offices. Plans also include larger rooms to accommodate a variety of birthing practices. Ultimately, the new unit will help meet Women & Infants Hospital’s goal of eliminating disparities in care and elevating every mother’s birthing experience. And, the Women’s Health Research Institute will tackle important projects including much-needed health equity research. 

“I am thankful that our state’s elected leaders understand and are invested in this project, which will impact Rhode Island families for generations to come. It’s my distinct pleasure to take members of our congressional delegation on a tour of the mock-up labor and delivery center, to show how it will enhance patient experience and answer any questions they may have,” said Shannon Sullivan, president and COO, of Women & Infants Hospital.

“Woman & Infants and its outstanding team of doctors, researchers, and health professionals help to care for so many Rhode Island families during some of the most significant days of their lives. I was proud to team up with Senator Whitehouse to secure $803,000 in federal funding to help make this new Labor and Delivery Center a reality,” said U.S. Senator Jack Reed said in a statement.

 “Women & Infants Hospital provides high-quality care for moms and newborns across Rhode Island,” said Senator Whitehouse.  “These new state-of-the-art facilities, funded in part by the federal earmark we secured, will help strengthen maternal care and give babies the healthiest possible start.”

An all-woman steering committee has led The Campaign to Deliver Our Future which has raised $25.4 million of the estimated $40 million necessary to complete the project.

Among its notable distinctions, Women & Infants Hospital has been recognized as a Baby-Friendly USA hospital. US News and World Report ranked Women & Infants Hospital’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology the 12th best in the nation.