Freestanding birth centers are closing as maternity care gaps grow

Dr. Heather Skanes opened Alabama’s first freestanding birth center in 2022 in her hometown of Birmingham. Skanes, an OB-GYN, wanted to improve access to maternal health care in a state that’s long had one of the nation’s highest rates of maternal and infant mortality. Those rates are especially high among Black women and infants. Skanes’ […]