Boulder Community Health acquires The Birth Center of Boulder

BCH now offers one of the most expansive maternity care programs in the state.

In order to offer additional options for expecting parents with low-risk pregnancies and births, Boulder Community Health (BCH) has acquired The Birth Center of Boulder (BCoB), a freestanding birth center that provides a natural and empowering birth experience in a midwifery-led facility instead of a hospital.

The purchase makes BCoB one of only a handful of freestanding birth centers in the U.S. that’s owned by a health care system. BCH now offers one of the most expansive maternity care programs in the state, including a Special Care Nursery operated in collaboration with Children’s Hospital Colorado.

“BCH’s acquisition of BCoB comes in response to a growing number of expectant families in our community seeking a low-intervention, out-of-hospital childbirth experience. This is the latest example of BCH responding to our community’s needs,” said BCH’s Vice President of Ambulatory Operations Larry Novissimo.

The midwifery model of care views pregnancy and birth as normal events during a person’s life that typically have the best outcomes when the natural process is supported and medical intervention is minimized.

BCoB provides safe compassionate services for pregnancy, labor and birth, postpartum and newborn care, as well as gynecological and primary health care services such as annual well-women exams. Certified nurse-midwives help their clients have a maternity experience uniquely suited to them, including alternative and complementary therapies and minimized medical interventions.

BCH has been offering expectant Boulder County families midwifery services as an option since 2008. It opened a hospital-based midwifery clinic, Foothills Community Midwives, in 2018.

“At BCH, we’re committed to making sure that childbirth is everything a pregnant patient hopes it will be. With the acquisition of BCoB, we’re now able to offer more midwifery options for a maternity and delivery experience that is the right fit for each mom-to-be,” said Lisa Allen, BCH’s Director of Nursing and Family Birth Center.

Located just 2.5 miles from BCH’s Foothills Hospital, BCoB provides pregnant clients with peace of mind knowing that, should there be complications during a birth, top-quality medical care is quickly accessible.

“BCoB has operated in collaboration with BCH since we opened in 2014, so clients will notice little change. It’s the same wonderful place, same midwives, same care model – but if things don’t go as planned, transfers to Foothills Hospital will be simplified because we are now part of our local health system,” says Angela Stevens, co-founder and clinical director of BCoB.

BCoB has welcomed nearly 800 babies since opening and served more than 1,700 women for midwifery, gynecologic and primary health care.\