Hospitals are a primary means of childbirth facilities in the U.S., but one Buffalo organization is working to continue its history as one of the few birthing centers in New York.
The Coit House Birth Center has averaged about 115 births per year since 2020, but there's heightened public exposure for birthing centers as an alternative to hospitals, Administrative Director Christina Walsh said.
"I think there's an increased awareness that this is an option, and it's a viable option for healthy people who have low risk pregnancies," she said. "We see a lot more different types of people coming for care here. I've been in the community birth field for about 16 years, and I see more diversity now in people who are seeking care in this option."
Medicaid access is one of the most important factors to make the birth center viable, Walsh said.
“That gives all these Medicaid folks, besides the fact that we want to care for a wide range of types of people ... having Medicaid does not limit their access to care here," she said. So that's something we're really proud of, and that I think Fidelis and other Medicaid-managed care plans have prioritized.”
The birthing center, which was founded in 2017, is accredited to handle exclusively low-risk pregnancies, but the model also increases flexibility according to mothers’ preferences, Lead Nurse Ashley Fino said.
“It's very individualized care here, you know, with midwifes. There's more of a collaborative conversation and care," she said. "We present, definitely the evidence-based information that we gather, present that to the, you know, to the client.”
The center has three bedrooms outfitted for births at its Allentown location, but some mothers prefer alternatives like a birth pool.
The birthing center is required to have licensed nurses on-hand, and the facility has a certified nurse midwife who leads the process, Fino said.
