GREENSBORO, N.C. — A new bill in the North Carolina state legislature calls for birth centers to be licensed.
There are currently seven stand-alone birth centers in North Carolina, but that number will soon drop to four when Baby +Co. closes its locations in Winston-Salem, Cary and Charlotte next month.
North Carolina is one of nine states in the country that allow birth centers to operate without some sort of state regulation, but House Bill 575 aims to change that. The bill mandates all birth centers be licensed, which includes an inspection and reporting process, and would also require centers to be accredited by the Commission for the Accreditation of Birth Centers (CABC).
"It's not only our own body that is accrediting us and inspecting us but also there is a mechanism for state inspection, as well," explains Sarah Dumas, a registered nurse and midwife at Women's Birth & Wellness Center in Chapel Hill.
Dumas explains she's in favor of licensing, adding that birth centers were including in the bill-writing process. Her center, as well as the other stand-alone centers, are already accredited by the CABC. They have to renew the accreditation every three years, they're subject to inspections and they have to submit data on a regular basis.
"They inspect everything from the outlets to our financial paperwork, to our emergency boxes with medications in them," Dumas explains. "So, it’s very thorough and in between those site visits are when we’re submitting interim status reports."
If the bill passes, it would go into effect this July. Centers would have to renew their license every year. The bill would also create a Commission to oversee the licensing process.
We asked Dumas to give us a better idea of how this all works. She says at her center, they take in low-risk mothers who want a low-intervention birth. They have privileges at nearby UNC Hospital if a mother needs more medical assistance and Dumas says she and her staff regularly train for scenarios like that.
"They’re going to get very intensive care," she says. "High-touch, low-tech we say."
As for Baby + Co., the Arkansas-based company says it's closing all North Carolina centers for financial reasons on May 15. In an email, a spokesperson told WFMY News 2 that the company is working with their medical partners across the state to help find patients new care.