Despite recording a record number of births in 2023, CHI Health’s Lincoln Birth Center will be closing August 31st.
CHI Health made the announcement in late July, saying even though the number of mothers served by the center had peaked since they opened in 2017, it was still only a fraction of what could be done without risk at a general hospital.
Birth centers typically are low-intervention birth assistance facilities where women often have robust access to certified nurse midwives, water births, private rooms, and other forms of specialized maternity care. Going forward, officials say they will be transferring the delivery experience to
CHI Health St. Elizabeth location — where midwife deliveries will continue to be offered.
“We made the decision to transition deliveries to the hospital because we continue to see more and more women with higher risk pregnancies who are not candidates to deliver in an offsite birth center,” CHI Health said in an official statement.
By the numbers, during the first six months of 2023, CHI Health reports 81% of the women who were under the care of a midwife at the birth center had to or chose to deliver at St. Elizabeth, while 19% gave birth at the birth center. So far in 2024, the number of women who had to or chose to deliver at the hospital has gone up. 86% who were under the care of a midwife at the birth center delivered at St. Elizabeth. Only 14% were able to give birth at the birth center.
“We know moms want access to the birth experience they desire. We are providing that in a different location at St. Elizabeth. We continue to be committed to providing compassionate care to moms and babies in our community,” the statement concluded.
For more information on CHI Health’s Lincoln Birth Center, visit chihealth.com.