🌎 Resumen en español · traducción automática
Tras más de media década de defensa, Kentucky aprobó las regulaciones para que los centros de parto independientes puedan abrir y operar en el estado, eliminando el requisito del certificado de necesidad que había bloqueado su funcionamiento durante años. Mary Kathryn DeLodder, directora de la Kentucky Birth Coalition, ya ha recibido interés de varias personas para abrir estos centros, que ofrecerían una opción de maternidad para embarazos de bajo riesgo en un ambiente similar al hogar. Aunque Kentucky enfrenta estadísticas preocupantes en cuidado materno, como tasas altas de partos prematuros y mortalidad materna por encima del promedio nacional, estos centros podrían proporcionar más opciones para las familias que las desean.
Traducción y resumen generados por IA a partir del artículo en inglés. Puede contener errores; consulte el texto original.
After more than half a decade of advocacy, supporters of freestanding birth centers celebrated Thursday as a legislative committee approved regulations — essentially, the details — for how the centers will now be able to open and run.
Mary Kathryn DeLodder, the director of the Kentucky Birth Coalition who has long advocated for more birthing options in the state, doesn’t have a timeline yet on when Kentucky may have its first center, but said she’s already heard from several people interested in opening them.
The regulations — which had to be brought up to date since no freestanding birthing center has operated in Kentucky in decades — are “going to really allow for birth centers to come into the modern times and operate in the commonwealth,” DeLodder said.
“I’m excited for Kentucky families that are experiencing low-risk pregnancies to have access to freestanding birth centers as another maternity care option,” she said, “and I’m also thankful for the hospitals that will be working cooperatively with these centers to continue to serve mothers and babies who have more complex needs.”
In 2025, the legislature paved the way for freestanding birth centers to open in Kentucky after years of debate over the merits and safety of the centers, which are home-like facilities aimed toward low-risk pregnancies.
The key hurdle that long blocked the centers from opening in Kentucky — which was removed by the 2025 law — was the state’s requirement that they obtain a certificate of need, which is a process that attempts to certify that there is a need for a service, be that extra beds in a hospital, an extra MRI machine or a new facility altogether.
Kentucky, meanwhile, has poor statistics around maternity care: Too many babies are born preterm, and the rate of mothers dying in and around childbirth is higher than the national average, to name a few.
DeLodder said while freestanding birthing centers can’t solve all of these problems, “it will help to have more options” for the parents in Kentucky who want them.
And the demand has long been there. The Lantern has reported through the years that hundreds of Kentuckians travel out of state in order to give birth at freestanding birth centers.
“We know people want this because they are willing to go out of state. But if you live multiple hours away in the middle of Kentucky, then crossing the state line to go to a freestanding center isn’t an option,” she said. “Because we’ve seen the advocates and families stick with this initiative and push it for six years, I think that shows the dedication that people have to wanting to see this happen.”
Rep. Jason Nemes, who for years fought to make freestanding birth centers a reality in Kentucky, said the state is “in the right spot … for Kentucky families, and most importantly, for mothers and babies.”
“This,” he said, “has been a long day coming.”
Kentucky Lantern is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kentucky Lantern maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Linda Blackford for questions: [email protected].
