Certified midwives tapped to eliminate ‘maternity care deserts,’ expand OB/GYN services in Illinois
Women's access to specialized health care is expanding in Illinois because of a collaboration between Bloomington's Advanced Women's Healthcare and OSF Healthcare to integrate certified midwives into OSF Healthcare's system.
As a result, the organizations are expanding OB/GYN services in Urbana and opening two brand new clinics in Lincoln and Forsyth. The goal is to eliminate “maternity care deserts,” counties that lack obstetric care providers. In Illinois, that includes 35 of the state's 102 counties, many of them rural.
“By adding a practice of certified midwives and advanced practice providers, we are able to open so-called OB outreach clinics in markets that previously lacked or did not already have access to these essential health services,” said Jennifer Ulrich, interim president of the OSF St. Joseph Medical Center.