(Providence, RI) – On Tuesday, August 15, 2023, 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, a project which is currently underway and expected to be completed in December 2024. The senators assisted in securing $803,000 in federal funding for the completion of this project. 

Dimeo Construction Company, a recognized leader in construction projects throughout New England, ceremonially broke ground on May 10th, 2023. 

The project will comprise a three-story addition including twenty (20) labor and delivery rooms, nurses’ stations, a staff lounge, a locker room, and management offices. Plans for the new Brown University Labor & Delivery Center also include larger rooms to accommodate a greater 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, a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “I look forward to watching the progress of this project as Brown University and Women & Infants team up to ensure Rhode Islanders have the state-of-the-art resources needed to improve health care for mothers in our state.” 

“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.”

The Campaign to Deliver Our Future, the philanthropic effort raising critical funds, is proudly led by a very invested, all-woman steering committee. To date, the campaign has raised $25.4 million of the estimated $40 million necessary to complete the project. To try to meet the financial obligations of the new building, Women & Infants seeks not only to continue raising capital for this project but to include the entire community in its effort. 

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. 

About Women & Infants Hospital

Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island, a Care New England hospital, is one of the nation’s leading specialty hospitals for women and newborns. A major teaching affiliate of The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University for obstetrics, gynecology, and newborn pediatrics, as well as a number of specialized programs in women’s medicine, Women & Infants is the ninth-largest stand-alone obstetrical service in the country and the largest in New England with approximately 8,700 deliveries per year. Women & Infants is a Designated Baby-Friendly® USA hospital, a U.S.News & World Report 2014-15 Best Children’s Hospital in Neonatology, and a 2014 Leapfrog Top Hospital. The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology ranked number 11 in U.S. News & World Report’s 2019 Best Medical Schools specialty ranking.

Women & Infants has been designated as a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence by the American College of Radiography; a Center of Excellence in Minimally Invasive Gynecology; Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence in Perinatal Biology and in Reproductive Health by the National Institutes of Health (NIH); and a Neonatal Resource Services Center of Excellence.  It is one of the largest and most prestigious research facilities in high-risk and normal obstetrics, gynecology, and newborn pediatrics in the nation, and is a member of the Eunice Kennedy ShriverNational Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units Network, Neonatal Research Network, and Pelvic Floors Disorders Network, as well as the National Cancer Institute’s Gynecologic Oncology Group.

About Care New England

Care New England Health System is a trusted organization that fuels the latest advances in medical research, attracts the nation’s top specialty-trained doctors, hones renowned services and innovative programs, and engages in the important discussions people need to have about their health and end-of-life wishes. Care New England is helping to transform the future of health care, providing a leading voice in the ongoing effort to ensure the health of the individuals and communities we serve.

CNE was founded in 1996, and today it is the parent organization of Butler Hospital, Kent Hospital, Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island, Care New England Medical Group, the VNA of Care New England, The Providence Center, and Integra, a certified accountable care organization (ACO). Care New England includes 970 licensed beds and 216 infant bassinets. Through Butler, Kent, and Women & Infants hospitals, Care New England has a teaching and research affiliation with The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Kent is also a teaching affiliate of The University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine.