Birth Center
ADPH asks judge to reconsider ruling on birth center regulations
The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) asked a Montgomery circuit court judge Thursday to reconsider a ruling preventing ADPH from withholding licensure for birth centers. Judge Greg Griffin’s order prevents ADPH from withholding licenses from birth centers — facilities that offer expectant mothers an option between home and hospital deliveries — that “demonstrate substantial […]
Montgomery judge says birth centers proved harm from proposed ADPH regulations
Montgomery Circuit Court Judge Greg Griffin wrote Wednesday that he blocked new Alabama Department of Public Health regulations on birth centers because birth center personnel had shown they could be harmed by the proposed rules. “The court holds that, while ADPH faces no harm, as discussed [in the opinion], plaintiffs have demonstrated through extensive testimony […]
Lawyers want to know why Montgomery judge blocked birth center regulations
Birth centers trying to stop the implementation of regulations won a victory Saturday when Montgomery Circuit Court Judge Greg Griffin issued an injunction against them. Now, they want Griffin to explain his reasons. Griffin blocked the rules, scheduled to go into effect on Oct. 15, after a six-hour hearing on Friday. But Griffin order did […]
Montgomery judge blocks Alabama birth center regulations from taking effect
Montgomery Circuit Court Judge Greg Griffin Saturday blocked the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) from enforcing hospital licensing rules on birth centers that at least two centers said had prevented them from operating. The three-page order prevents ADPH from “refusing to timely license (including but not limited to refusing to timely issue temporary or […]
Montgomery judge allows lawsuit over Alabama birth center regulations to move forward
A Montgomery judge will allow a lawsuit against the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) over birth center regulations to move forward. Montgomery Circuit Court Judge Greg Griffin denied a motion Thursday from ADPH to dismiss the lawsuit, which alleges that ADPH has effectively made birth centers – facilities that provide an in-between option for […]
Next stop for birth center regulations: Alabama Legislative Council
The final step for controversial new rules on birth centers will be the Legislative Council. Following a public comment period, the Alabama Department of Public Health Thursday approved the proposed rules, which will require birth centers to have oversight by a physician or medical director. The rules proposed would also require birth centers to be […]
Alabama Department of Public Health approves birth center regulations
The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) Thursday approved a set of rules that would require birthing centers to have oversight by a physician or medical director at its State Committee of Public Health meeting in Montgomery Thursday. The rules proposed would also require birth centers to be within 30 minutes of a hospital with […]
Hospitals block much-needed birth centers in the South
When Katie Chubb announced in 2021 she was planning to open a freestanding birth center in Augusta, Georgia, it seemed like everybody in town was excited about it. She met with local physicians and nurses who said they would welcome her Augusta Birth Center as a provider of midwifery services for low-risk pregnancies. Hundreds of […]
ACLU sues Alabama Department of Public Health over birth center regulations
The American Civil Liberties Union Tuesday filed a lawsuit against the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH), alleging that its policies make it impossible for birth centers to operate in the state. The 46-page lawsuit alleges that ADPH has effectively forced birth centers – facilities that provide an in-between option for individuals who do not […]
Midwifery grows in Alabama amid maternal health challenges
Kate Petty, a 41-year-old mother, has had two hospital births and two home births after that. In her second hospital birth, her newborn baby, Eliza, passed away just a few hours after being born. She didn’t understand how that happened to Eliza when her pregnancy was without complications up to that point – what she […]