Carolina Community Maternity Center in Fort Mill SC - what happened?

The Carolina Community Maternity Center (CCMC) was reopened before Christmas 2013, after it had been shut down in September days after a baby was still born. While the reopening is getting no media coverage, its closure got plenty of speculative and sensationalist coverage. Death is painful and no one ever wants it to happen. Especially not a midwife; her profession is about bringing life into the world.

I delivered my third child at CCMC. I am thankful for all three healthy births and children, but a birth center birth was a breath of fresh air compared to my two hospital deliveries with the typical tension due to fear (of pain and lawsuits), computer data input, IVs and needles.

I do not shun medical doctors. During my pregnancy, I operated with a trio of midwife, neonatologist and pediatric specialist, to monitor a minor condition the fetus had.  However, labor and delivery was exclusively at CCMC and I could not imagine it any other way anymore. There the midwives encourage mothers to embrace the natural potential of their bodies. Risk management is hidden behind soothing cabinets and curtains so mothers can remain focused on the vitality of their bodies and the baby.

Between two prenatal visits, my midwife took time to give me the status on CCMC.

A few days after the stillbirth, CCMC was given an emergency suspension order by SCDHEC. At an emergency meeting, SCDHEC accused CCMC of not having a doctor on call 24/7 and presented them with a list of false and vague infringements.

While SCDHEC does have a regulation in which birth centers must have a doctor on call 24/7, this has not been enforced for over fifteen years; no doctor can make such a commitment while keeping up with their practice, as well as due to “non-moonlighting clauses” with the hospitals they work for. So, instead of a mandate of having a doctor on call 24/7, all six birth centers in South Carolina provide SCDHEC with copies of the agreements with doctors who shall “consult by phone” in case of emergencies. This has been the mutually agreed upon MO for fifteen years.

CCMC smelled foul play as a knee jerk reaction to the stillbirth with this suspension order. The midwives set to prove how they had acted within compliance with SCDHEC and always with good intentions. Their acute goal was to open again, so they could be available as soon as possible for families. Long term their goal was to change the SC laws to make them more realistic, current and safe.

They worked closely with the American Association of Birth Centers (AABC), to claim the legal stake of birth centers in SC.  Finally, SC DHEC agreed to CCMC’s suggestion to update SC’s 1993 statutes to the current, modern, professional, safe and reasonable standards of the AABC, which already form the legal framework for other States such as Minnesota. The bill is in line for the next SC legislative session to pass it.

These midwives are honest business owners, did not let themselves be intimidated by power players, are changing policies and will continue to prove how birth centers should be an integral part of women’s healthcare services. Insurance companies, amongst others, should take a good look at the economics of birth centers.