Willow Midwife Center for Birth & Wellness is a freestanding birth center in Mesa, AZ. Co-owner Diane Ortega talked with CABC Commissioner Karin Braun about the community they serve and exciting plans for next year. Read the full interview here.
Full Transcript:
Karin: Why did you decide to open a birth center, Diane?
Diane: We wanted to open the birth center to provide an alternative for women who desired midwifery-led care in a community setting.
Karin: What is your client population like?
Diane: It is a diverse population. We have teens, students, and professionals. Our clients come from many cultures. There is diversity of wealth, religion, and sexual orientation.
Karin: Why is it important for your birth center to be CABC-accredited?
Diane: Accreditation shows everyone, including the client, the community, collaborative partners, our community partners, students, and payers, the high quality and standard of care that we are committed to meeting.
Karin: Have you changed how you do something as a result of becoming CABC-accredited?
Diane: We have improved tools for charting.
Karin: What are you most proud of?
Diane: I am proud of the diversity of clientele that we have been able to serve, and our amazing outcomes. I am also proud of incorporating Behavioral Health into our practice.
Karin: What is your biggest challenge?
Diane: Staffing, as well as hospital relationships and contracting.
Karin: What do you think are the benefits of a new or student midwife having experience in a birth center?
Diane: Students at hospitals don’t know what physiologic birth is. This is something they can learn through a birth center.
Karin: Do your midwives attend births in any other place besides the birth center? And is there a favorite place to practice?
Diane: Although we also attend births at a community hospital, all our midwives prefer the birth center.
Karin: How has your birth center practice changed how something is done at the hospital?
Diane: We have been able to teach the nurses more about physiologic birth, and patience.
Karin: Any exciting plans for the birth center?
Diane: We are planning to open a second location next year to be able to serve more women!
Karin: What advice would you give to someone who is thinking about opening a birth center?
Diane: Don’t do it! You’ll never sleep again :) But, if you do proceed: establish yourself in the community; develop relationships with community partners; and start small and grow slow.