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Colorado's First Birthing Center Closes, Mom Wishes There Had Been 'More Transparency'

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (CBS4) - Colorado's first birthing center has closed, leaving at least 100 families to find last minute care and midwives across the state scrambling to help.

"There were always people in and out of the lobby, phones were ringing so it seemed like it was business as usual. Things were good," said Laura Harter.

Harter and her husband had heard nothing but good things about Englewood's Mountain Midwifery. They initially looked into an OB/GYN but found the hospital setting sterile.

"The care was fine but it was kind of cold and not very personal, not very friendly."

As a stand-alone birth center, Mountain Midwifery was a midwife-run facility and, like other birth centers, offered a more personal experience for expecting mothers.

Two weeks ago, Harter didn't think she would be able to have that experience. She was notified via email that Mountain Midwifery was closing its doors.

"Essentially explaining that it was a financial decision and they were very sad to see this clinic go," Harter continued, "I had two and a half weeks before my due date when I found out they were closing in two weeks."

On its Facebook page, Mountain Midwifery stated:

Mountain Midwifery is closing. We have posted a referral list on our Mountain Midwifery Mamas group. We are "catching" babies through October 13th and providing follow-up care through October 15th.

We have emailed maternity clients with due dates through the end of December. To get a records release form from Mountain Midwifery, please look on the Patient Portal or email Questions@MountainMidwifery.com
Clients with 2020 due dates will receive emails over the course of the day.

SCHEDULING We are NOT cancelling appointments on or before October 11th. We encourage your to keep your appointment to better coordinate care and transfer records.

While Harter found care with Denver's Hygge Birth Center, she says she was still angry about the situation.

"I was wishing that there had been more transparency. I found out that the staff didn't have much transparency either and this was hard on everyone. It is hard on everyone."

Following the closure announcement, the Colorado Birthing Center Coalition held an emergency meeting to find out how it could help other women like Harter.

It released a statement the same day,

It is with great sadness that the Colorado birth center community has learned of the closing of Mountain Midwifery Center. MMC was the first birth center to open in CO and paved the way for the thriving community we have today. Their closing is a loss for us all.

For years, the birth centers in the state have worked together through a grass roots organization we call The Colorado Birth Center Coalition. This Coalition has worked to improve access and care for all CO families and, in 2017, was instrumental in rewriting and updating our state regulations that govern birth centers.

All of the Colorado Birth Center Coalition members are prepared to step in and work with current Mountain Midwifery Center clients to transfer care to our spaces. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us for more information and support.

Aubre Tompkins, the director of Midwifery at Season Midwifery and a member of the Colorado Birth Center Coalition, talked with CBS4 about the situation.

"My birth center alone has seen close to 30 people, we were talking just before this and other birth centers have had that many, too. We're all kind of being flooded with families looking for a new home," she said.

The coalition formed 13 years ago to oversee midwifery practices in the state. It says that despite the closure, midwifery care has been linked to better outcomes and demand for midwifery care is growing.

"Traditionally speaking, the problem that a lot of birth centers face is that the insurance companies don't like to reimburse us at appropriate rates and the Medicaid rate in this state is very low."

There are six birthing centers in the state and with a seventh under construction in Fort Collins.

Harter hopes the closure of Mountain Midwifery serves as a guide for the rest.

"I hope they're looking at how their businesses are run to make sure that they're providing what they need to provide and if there are concerns that they're able to make adjustments," said Harter.

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