In a significant effort to improve maternal health care services, the Healey-Driscoll Administration in Massachusetts has announced the allocation of $1 million in grants for freestanding community birth centers. According to Mass.gov, the funds will be shared among three community-focused organizations: Neighborhood Birth Center in Boston, Seven Sisters Midwifery Birth Center in Northampton, and Worcester Community Midwifery, Inc. in Worcester. These organizations intend to use the grants to address various needs, including facility expenses, start-up costs, and the delivery of comprehensive maternal care.
"We want Massachusetts to be the best and healthiest place in the world not just for some, but for all families, all women and all people in our state. Birth centers have a critical role to play in ensuring that women receive high-quality care each step of the way in their pregnancies," Governor Maura Healey stated in the press release. This funding is primarily aimed at making accessible and equitable health care a reality for many communities in the state that have historically been underserved. The Healey-Driscoll administration's initiative focuses on investing in areas identified as facing significant health disparities.
Each selected center aims to make a unique contribution to Massachusetts' maternal health landscape. For example, Worcester Community Midwifery plans to use the grant for building renovations and purchasing essential equipment to establish a birth center led by certified nurse-midwives. Likewise, Neighborhood Birth Center in Roxbury intends to use the funds to create a center focused on reproductive and racial justice, serving local families. Seven Sisters in Western Massachusetts, the only currently operating birth center in the state, will continue to support families with the assistance of this grant.
According to findings from the Department of Public Health, severe maternal morbidity rates in Massachusetts have nearly doubled over the past decade. These complications particularly affect Black birthing individuals and those with disabilities. "Expanding birth center capacity in the state moves us forward in addressing systemic inequities in reproductive care," Secretary of Health and Human Services Kate Walsh told Mass.gov.
The grants, managed by the Division of Pregnancy, Infancy & Early Childhood within the Department of Public Health’s Bureau of Family Health & Nutrition, are set to commence on October 15 and run through June 30, 2025. This funding builds on the $10 million awarded in August to support various initiatives, including postpartum depression care and midwifery services. These efforts reflect a significant governmental commitment to transforming maternal health practices and infrastructure for the benefit of all families in Massachusetts.
