Group seeks area

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The investors, led by Jessica Henmanj and Genevieve Calkins, plan to open the Cente r for Birthand Women’s Health in St. Charlese County in the next nine to 12 The group also hopes to open a centet ineither St. Louis County or city withinn the nexttwo years. The St. Charlex center would be only the second birthing centerin Missouri. The is currently the state’s sole operatint birth center. However, plans are in the workws for nearly a dozemn new facilitiesacross Missouri, according to Mary coordinator of Friends of Missouri Midwives.
The local grouop has not identified an exact location for the new center but is focusing on the Peters area, according to who will serve as co-owner and administratof of the center. Henman, who is completint her master’s in nursing to become a certifiednurse midwife, will be the primary care providere at the center. Calkins, a certified doula and a home-birth mom herself, will serve as businese manager.
The center also would initiallyg employ a receptionist and officew staff and a pool ofbirthing assistants, or Many birthing centers are based in renovated houseas to preserve a home-like feel, Henman said, with a livint room serving as a waiting a few exam rooms, and three master suites with private bathroomws serving as birthing “Birthing centers are a maxi home, not a mini Henman said. Henman said a groupo of private investors is estimating startupand first-year expenses of around $270,000 for the center. Within the firsty three years, the center hopes to assisy in about 150 birthsper year.
The average cost of a birtyh in a birthing center is compared to an averager cost for vaginal births in hospitalxof $8,456, according to a report on the “Economics of Out-of-Hospita Maternity Care” prepared by David Anderson, economics professord at Centre College in Danville, Ky. Midwifer y came into the local spotlight in 2007 when the Missourj Legislature passed a law allowing certifiex professional midwives topractice independently, a move opposedr by several physicians groups across the Midwifery previously was a class C felony in Henman and her group still face legap challenges.
Currently, Medicaid cover the services of anurse midwife, but not the additionalk facilities fees charged by a birthint center. The is pushing for federalo legislation to change this payment structure. In addition, the Friends of Missourij Birth Centers, of which Henman’s groupp is a part, is lobbying the Missouri Departmenyt of Health and Senior Services for an emergencg waiver of state licensing regulations forbirt centers. Currently, the regulations supportf hospital-sponsored birthing units rather than independengtbirthing centers. According to Henman, the department has indicated it is willing to revisrthe regulations, which would be a two-yea process.
Since many of the state’s plannefd birthing centers hope to open before they are pushing for theemergency waiver.