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Hi Kim and all:
I too am interested in free-standing birth centres here in
Australia as they were very common in the state of Washington where I practiced
bewfoire moving back home. Because the system there is very different than NZ I
will explain sort of how it worked. A free standing birth centre is exactly that
a birth centre that is free from a hospital in every respect. It may be a
private home with bedrooms that are birth suites, or a couple of motel like
rooms in a building that also houses midwifery and other healthcare provider
offices. No matter what it physically looks like in the State of Washington the
building has to meet certain health and safety requirements set out by the
department of health (DOH). Also there has to be a currently practicing MD on
the board of directors and there are also some more requirements about who has
to be on this board (this requirement would obviously vary with jurisdiction).
There are also requirements for minimum equipment such as suction and oxygen,
stethoscopes etc. Yes it is all laid out nail by nail. Midwives who attend
births there have to apply and be approved by the board. And, the
state lays out the risk levels of women who may birth there: no breeches or
twins for example. Obviously this varies by state because breeches and twins are
the speciality at "The Farm" but that is in Tenessee. So in essence the state
has a whole lot of rules and regs that apply to birth centre births but not
homebirths because at least in the USA the state can tell you what to do in a
public building (which a licensed birth centre becomes even though it is
preivately owned) but NOT in your own home. Yes the birth centre had to have
insurance but so did the midwives. You are right Kim, at least in Washington, if
there was no physician (OB and paed) to back you up then the hospital you
would transfer to was required to provide it, by law. Also by law you as a
midwife had to know this by noting the same on your license
application.
So, that being said more or less as an example, does anyone
know if there are rules and regs for free-standing birth centres in any states
or territories of Australia. Margie I think said the ACT was in the process of
developing a free standing birth centre: do you mean the building or the rules
and regs?
I do remember from birthing my first 2 daughters here in the
1970's that there were Maternity Centres in Qld, one at Corinda (where I went)
and one at Boothville but they have long been closed down in the 1980's I
believe: I guess they weren't modern enough. In any case does anyone know
how to access the laws that govern maternity centres or have they been recinded.
If they still exist could they apply to free standing birth
centres.
I did a google search for "free standing birth centres, Australia"
and found on Andrea's website she has a section on choosing your
birth place and I copied this: "In some places, free standing Birth Centres
have been established to provide home-like births for those who wish to pay for
a private service. These units are usually staffed by independent midwives, who
have back up arrangements with local obstetricians and hospitals. Ask for full
details of the services they offer and the costs involved. " but no info on
where they are. Kathleen Fahy at Newcastle Uni also supports them according to
my search. The big question remains where in Australia is a free standing birth
centre?
In Seattle midwives located them close to midwife and
homebirth friendly hospitals so that women from areas where the back-up hospital
was hostile could have a close to homebirth experience within safe distance to a
receptive hospital should transfer be necessary.
I will search somemore
marilyn
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