Despite growing evidence that midwife-led birth centers improve outcomes for mothers and infants, Mississippi remains one of 10 states with no centers. Mississippi is also among the states with the fewest midwives per births in the nation, according to a new report by the Commonwealth Fund, a non-profit research organization focused on healthcare issues.
Built in the communities they serve, freestanding birth centers employ midwives to care for people with low-risk pregnancies, according to the report released Tuesday. They focus on patient autonomy and cultural responsiveness, which can help reduce pregnancy and delivery disparities for Black and Indigenous communities. Birth centers also may lower unnecessary interventions and increase maternal satisfaction, the report authors said.
“Birth centers offer the kind of continuous, midwife-led care, shaped around each family’s needs, that can be part of the response to our maternal health crisis,” said Laurie Zephyrin, senior vice president of the Achieving Equitable Outcomes program at the Commonwealth Fund, in a press release.
Last year, Mississippi health officials declared a public health emergency over rising infant deaths, most of which were Black infants. Experts have said increased access to care is a vital part of the solution. But in February, state lawmakers failed to pass legislation that would have made it easier for midwives to practice without paying a collaborating physician a monthly fee. . Advocates argue these arrangements provide little meaningful collaboration while creating financial barriers that discourage midwives from practicing or opening birth centers.
Mississippi, along with Louisiana and Alabama, has fewer than 20 midwives per 10,000 births, according to the report. All three states have collaboration agreements for nurse midwives.
In 2026, the American College of Nurse Midwives sued Mississippi for restricting access to midwives in a place with some of the worst outcomes for mothers and babies. That lawsuit is still pending.
Beyond collaboration agreements, the Mississippi State Department of Health has regulated birth centers in a way that may put underserved, rural areas at a disadvantage, Zephyrin told Mississippi Today.
For example, a Mississippi birth center can only open within 30 minutes of a hospital, according to state regulations. Nearly half the counties in Mississippi are maternity care deserts, where there are no obstetric clinicians or birthing facilities.
“With hospital shortages and maternity deserts, there may not be a hospital nearby,” Zephyrin said, adding that state leaders need to be innovative to address gaps in care.
The state Health Department did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication.
Across the country, access to birth centers remains limited. In addition to the 10 states without birth centers, eight states have only one.
On the other hand, Texas leads the nation in this health model, with 90 birth centers. Between 2004 and 2024, the model grew significantly, according to the report. However, birth center deliveries still only account for less than one percent of all U.S. births.
Getty Israel, founder of a Jackson-based women’s health clinic called Sisters in Birth, has spent nearly six years trying to open a birth center in the state. She believes the state overregulates birth centers and midwives. She said lawmakers lack the will to integrate midwives and birth centers into the healthcare system.
Israel said she feels lawmakers don’t pay attention to the growing research that supports midwifery as an integral part of the solution.
“There’s a lot of evidence about the efficacy of birth centers,” Israel said. “But no one is helping me to build a birth center.”
Hence then, the article about report finds birth centers improve outcomes mississippi has none was published today ( ) and is available on Mississippi Today ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Report finds birth centers improve outcomes. Mississippi has none )
Also on site :