Evergreen Approves New Hospital-Based Midwifery Practice

The l Board of Commissioners unanimously voted Wednesday night to approve the creation of a hospital-based midwifery practice. Based on the plan passed, the hospital hopes to hire four full-time midwives and one part-time midwife by the end of May.  If all goes according to plan, the practice will be open for patient care by the end of the third quarter.

The precise model of care and specific services offered by this practice will be determined by the midwives and their obstetrical back-up in consultation with the Hospital. We don’t know yet whether the model of care will include all the services we consider crucial to full service midwifery, but we hope the midwives will be empowered to treat VBAC candidates and other women with “high risk” pregnancies. 

Until last fall, full-service midwifery care was available at Evergreen  through the Center for Women’s Health (CFWH), a private medical practice. . Standing in the cold on a near-freezing night last November, more than fifty moms, kids, and dads  outside the Family Maternity Center at Evergreen. That rally put a face to the more than 1,200 community members who petitioned Evergreen to create a full-service midwifery practice to replace the care formerly available at CFWH.

While some questions remain, approval of the practice by the Board is a truly exciting and important step toward the return of full-service midwifery to Evergreen Hospital. It is also an opportunity to reflect on the power of small group of passionate supporters and the sincere commitment of Evergreen Hospital to serving the patient community.

Thank you to all the supporters who stepped up to advocate for women’s healthcare options. You made your voices heard and Evergreen has enthusiastically answered the call. The Hospital has demonstrated a tremendous commitment to providing the services this community desires and to supporting low-intervention birth techniques such as midwifery.

As I have said many times during this process, if Evergreen wasn’t a really special place, we wouldn’t have bothered. We would have just taken our business some place else. But Evergreen is special. It’s more than a hospital; it’s a community resource and the place where we love to have our babies. 

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Laura Latta is a writer and stay-at-home mom. She lives with her husband, Trent, and their daughter, Charlotte, in the Juanita Neighborhood of Kirkland.