Freestanding Birth Centers
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Overview
Health & Medicine has long championed the value of freestanding birth centers (FBC) to provide cost-effective, high-quality prenatal and obstetrical services, offering women an additional option when choosing where to give birth in Illinois.
For more than 30 years our Birth Center Task Force has provided policy expertise and leadership for the birth center movement in Illinois. In 1992, we worked to pass the necessary framework legislation to launch FBCs, the Alternative Health Care Delivery Act. In 2008, Health & Medicine helped to draft and pass Illinois’ FBC amendments to this framework, continuing to work with the Illinois Department of Public Health to develop appropriate regulations while also providing advice and guidance to groups working to open centers. This led to the opening of Illinois’ first FBC at PCC Community Wellness in Berwyn, Illinois in October 2014 and the opening of a second center in Bloomington in 2016.
Our Birth Center Task Force remains committed to expanding birth options for Illinois families and welcomes requests for information and support. To join the Birth Center Task Force, please email Margie Schaps at mschaps@hmprg.org.
Illinois FBC Legislation and Related Resources:
News
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Health & Medicine’s Birth Center Task Force Renews Advocacy for Birth Center Expansion and Becomes Fiscal Sponsor to Support Chicago Southside Birth Center
March 8, 2022Health & Medicine is proud of the role we have played in advocating for birth center* expansion and is pleased to announce our role supporting the development of a new birth center on Chicago’s south side. Throughout 2021, the Task Force was actively involved in renewed efforts to expand the availability of birth centers in […]
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Health & Medicine Releases Report About Creating a Universal Newborn Support System in Illinois
November 5, 2021The time has never been better for exploration of the possibilities for expanding the Universal Newborn Support System (UNSS) model in Illinois. A group of early childhood and maternal and child health advocates, supported by Health & Medicine, McAlpine Consulting for Growth, and Conlon Public Strategies, has studied and developed recommendations as to how such […]
