Alternative birthing experiences have increased in popularity in recent years, and the number of birth centers nationally has doubled in the last decade.
For a freestanding birth center to be licensed by the Ohio Department of Health for births on their premises, it has to have a formal agreement with a hospital stating the patient can be transferred to that hospital in case of a medical emergency, according to Ohio law.
But no hospital that Ohio Birth Center reached out to will sign off on an agreement despite the center being staffed by licensed medical professionals and accredited by the national Commission for the Accreditation of Birth Centers.
Since June 2022, 14 Ohio hospitals have either closed or consolidated their maternity services, according to the Ohio Hospital Association, and 13 of Ohio's 88 counties are considered to be maternity care deserts, according to March of Dimes data.
