The Philadelphia Midwife Collective plans on converting a historic 100-year-old house in Germantown into Philadelphia’s newest birth center and community health practice, writes Nicole Leonard for WHYY.
The goal is to provide an alternative labor and delivery option in an area where hospital maternity units and birthing centers have been shrinking or closing, further widening care gaps, according to certified nurse midwife Autumn Nelson.
The collective plans to build on long-standing birthing practices while adapting them to today’s complex health care environment.
“There’re definitely things that are new and different about doing it right now, but it’s midwifery,” said Nelson. “It is so old, it’s not new. We know this is the way to decrease interventions, to have improved maternal health, to have improved neonatal health. Those just are outcomes that happen when you utilize midwifery care.”
The project will restore the long-neglected building, transforming it into a space designed to feel welcoming rather than as a hospital.
“This will be a huge community space, so this is where we hope to host childbirth classes or other workshops that are helpful to the neighborhood,” said Nelson.
Read more about the Philadelphia Midwife Collective and its plans for the new birth center and community health practice at WHYY.
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