For decades, Immanuel Birth Co. has offered women in Topeka and surrounding areas a middle ground between a hospital birth and a home birth. But the midwife-led facility in a large, historic brick home near the Kansas Capitol is now at risk of shutting down.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment is moving to take the birth center’s license based on allegations they did not comply with maternity center regulations, which would force them to close.
Immanuel Birth Co. is the only freestanding birth center in Topeka. Advocates worry women in the area will have less birth options outside of hospitals if it closes.
“I had my son five months ago at the birth center and I can’t tell you how amazing it was. I felt like family there. They took such good care of me,” Tori Berning said while standing outside KDHE’s office in Topeka last week.
Berning joined a group of women protesting Immanuel Birth Co.’s potential closure at the state agency’s offices.
Why is KDHE trying to take Immanuel Birth Co.’s license?
KDHE issued what’s called a notice of intent to revoke to Immanuel Birth Co. in October. The Kansas News Service acquired the notice through an open records request.
According to the notice, the state health department alleges employees failed to perform chest compressions on a baby born without a heartbeat, did not report a stillbirth by the next working day and admitted two high-risk patients.
Birth centers like Immanuel have to adhere to strict qualifications for patients. If a patient is considered high risk, they cannot provide maternity or labor and delivery care and the patient should go to a hospital.
A spokesperson for KDHE said Immanuel Birth Co. appealed the intent to revoke in a timely manner. There is a pre-hearing set for February 19.
Jodi Blair is the certified nurse midwife who owns and operates Immanuel Birth Co. She said she is willing to work with KDHE and make adjustments to keep their license.
“We feel like we’ve tried to do some corrective things and they haven’t been accepted,” Blair said. “We’re not sure what they want but we would like the opportunity to stay open.”
Immanuel Birth Co., originally known as Birth and Women’s Center, has been around for more than 40 years. Blair said she and her staff foster deep relationships with their patients and offer them an affordable alternative to home or hospital birth.
“That’s so important to lots of people, so I think we’re worth keeping open,” she said. “Occasionally, birth out of the hospital is not going to go well and we’re very sad for the family that that happened to.”
What the birth center’s supporters say
When Immanuel Birth Co. posted on Facebook about KDHE’s intent to shut them down, hundreds of women commented on the post in support of the birth center.
One of the supporters started an online petition, which has garnered 3,200 signatures. Blair, Immanuel Birth Co.'s owner, said she had nothing to do with the protest or petition.
At the protest last week, Berning said Immanuel is the only midwife-led birth center in the region.
“You go several hours west and there's no options,” she said. “We have families that travel from all over to have an out of hospital birth option.”
Berning’s right about the lack of other options. Recently, New Birth Company in Overland Park, Kansas closed suddenly, citing low reimbursement rates from Medicaid and insurance companies as the reason.
Lawrence Birth and Wellness, tucked in a residential neighborhood in Lawrence, aims to open their birth center soon. Also, there is a midwife-led birth center in Wichita and one in Yoder, but those aren’t enough to keep up with demand.
Research suggests birth centers like Immanuel have better outcomes than hospitals when it comes to low-risk births. They often have lower cesarean section rates and fewer instances of low birth weight. And the facilities generally have higher breastfeeding rates compared to hospitals.
Stephanie Horacek also participated in the protest in support of Immanuel. She said after a traumatic hospital birth with her first child, she had a “wonderful” experience at Immanuel.
“Not only did I feel safe there, but it actually healed a huge injury to my heart,” Horacek said.
Horacek said women need options for giving birth. She said she is aware of the stillbirth that allegedly happened at Immanuel.
“It's not the baby's fault. It's not the parents’ fault, and it's not Emmanuel's fault, either,” she said. “It's just a really tragic situation. And I don't think that it should negate our choice of where we birth. We should still have the opportunity to use Immanuel.”
Bek Shackelford-Nwanganga reports on health care disparities and access for the Kansas News Service. You can email her at r.shackelford@kcur.org.
The Kansas News Service is a collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio, KMUW and High Plains Public Radio focused on health, the social determinants of health and their connection to public policy.
Kansas News Service stories and photos may be republished by news media at no cost with proper attribution and a link to ksnewsservice.org.
