Newport Hospital Birthing Center Advocate Cassie Voll Receives National Community Hero Award

MOMS OVER MARGINS CO-FOUNDER CASSIE VOLL RECEIVES NATIONAL COMMUNITY HERO AWARD – Presented by Primary Care for All Americans

Recognition Highlights Grassroots Victory to Preserve Newport Hospital Birthing Center Amid Ongoing Regional Healthcare Concerns

Moms Over Margins, a grassroots advocacy organization based in Newport County, Rhode Island, announced today that co-founder Cassie Voll has been named the recipient of the 2026 Community Hero Award presented by Primary Care for All Americans (PC4AA). The honor will be presented during the inaugural Health Care Renaissance Summit on May 20, 2026, in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Voll is being recognized for helping lead the successful community campaign to preserve the Noreen Stonor Drexel Birthing Center at Newport Hospital — the only labor and delivery unit on Aquidneck Island — after Brown University Health (BUH) signaled in July 2025 that closure of the facility was under consideration.

Working alongside the Coalition for Newport Hospital Birthing Center, Voll helped mobilize parents, healthcare professionals, and community members through rallies, marches, public testimony, and a petition that gathered more than 3,200 signatures. The campaign also earned support from multiple local town councils.

The Noreen Stonor Drexel Birthing Center delivers nearly 500 babies annually and was the 40th hospital in the nation to receive “Baby-Friendly” designation from the World Health Organization and UNICEF.

“This campaign has truly been a community effort,” said Voll. “While we’ve achieved an important victory, there is still work ahead to ensure the long-term future of the Noreen Stonor Drexel Birthing Center and protect this essential resource for generations to come.”

In April 2026, BUH announced the birthing center would remain open, while also stating that nearly $5 million in additional annual revenue would be needed to sustain operations.

Advocates say the Newport fight also reflects broader healthcare concerns extending beyond Rhode Island. Brown University Health now operates hospitals in southeastern Massachusetts, including St. Anne’s Hospital in Fall River and Morton Hospital in Taunton, both of which have reported significant financial losses.

“What’s happening in Newport is not an isolated story,” Voll said. “Brown University Health now operates facilities across state lines, and the same financial pressures affecting our birthing center could potentially impact other communities as well.”

Supporters say Moms Over Margins has become an example of how local communities can organize effectively and influence decisions made by large healthcare systems.

For more information about Moms Over Margins, contact [email protected]. Information about the Health Care Renaissance Summit is available at pc4aasummit.netlify.app.

ABOUT MOMS OVER MARGINS
Moms Over Margins is a grassroots advocacy organization based in Newport County dedicated to preserving the high-quality, evidence-based, compassionate care provided by the Noreen Stonor Drexel Birthing Center at Newport Hospital, home to the county’s only labor and delivery unit. The organization advocates for maternal healthcare access and believes families should not bear the burden of institutional or governmental decisions that fail to prioritize women’s healthcare.

ABOUT PRIMARY CARE FOR ALL AMERICANS
Primary Care for All Americans (PC4AA) is a national grassroots advocacy organization focused on ensuring every community has access to primary care services. The organization brings together clinicians, students, policymakers, and community advocates to strengthen and rebuild the nation’s primary care system through organizing, advocacy, and policy reform.