Since 1982, the certified nurse-midwives, nurse practitioners, and nurses of The Midwife Center have cared for thousands of clients and their families. Our providers take care of clients of all ages, and provide primary gynecological care, prenatal care, childbirth care, behavioral health and wellness, breastfeeding support and more. The Midwife Center is the only freestanding, licensed birth center option in Southwestern Pennsylvania. TMC is licensed with the Pennsylvania Department of Health and are nationally accredited with the Commission for the Accreditation of Birth Centers (CABC).
The Midwife Center accepts most private and public insurance plans and is a member organization of Adagio Health, which enables us to provide gynecological care to clients for free or on a sliding fee scale based on income and family size.
The Midwife Center's programs and services have a direct impact on improving health outcomes in our region. Our programs are designed to provide personalized and evidence-based care that is based on the needs of our clients and their families. This approach helps The Midwife Center, as well as birth centers nationally, achieve significantly better health outcomes compared to national statistics. The Midwife Center has prioritized making its care more accessible to diverse populations through the programs below, which are made possible by individual and business donations and foundation grants.
Wellness Walk-In Fridays
Wellness Walk-In Fridays is a same-day scheduling program for gynecological services like annual exams, contraceptives, sexually-transmitted infection screenings and more. This program was designed to minimize some of the barriers that keep individuals from seeking healthcare, such as lack of insurance, finances, lack of childcare, and difficulty keeping appointments. Our goal is to respect individuals and provide them with safe and satisfying care.
Wellness Walk-In Fridays attracts individuals of all ages and different experiences, including people who have avoided the healthcare system because of bad experiences in their past. Our goal is to provide care and support, establish a trusting relationship, and help address the client's current and future health care needs. Our walk-in hours have served thousands of individuals since 2003.
Accessible reproductive care
The Midwife Center recognizes that not all of the individuals and families who come to our center have insurance or medical assistance. With help from individual donations and from funding we receive through Adagio Health, we are able to offer primary gynecological care, prenatal care, and childbirth services to individuals without insurance or who don't qualify for medical assistance. Additionally, our expanded building is accessible and we also utilize language & interpretation services.
Postpartum Phone Calls
In order to provide families with additional support during the initial postpartum period, The Midwife Center dedicates nurse time to make postpartum phone calls to clients in need of additional support. During these phone calls made over a six-week (and sometimes longer) period, a Midwife Center nurse will help with breast / chestfeeding, discuss nutrition and safety, talk about any challenges with transitioning to parenthood, and provide referrals as needed.
Class Scholarships
The Midwife Center offers three core classes which help clients become fully prepared for childbirth and caring for a new baby - Childbearing Essentials, Breastfeeding and Newborn Care. In addition to these core classes, The Midwife Center offers a Childbearing Refresher for clients who have had a prior labor and birth. The Midwife Center requires that expecting first-time parents take the three core classes, and we offer scholarships for individuals who qualify based on income and family size.
Information & Referral
In order to provide comprehensive care, The Midwife Center's Community Health Worker helps both primary gynecological and prenatal clients connect with resources and clinical referrals at our center and in the community. Resources could include ways to obtain affordable health care and childcare, food assistance, free diapers, transportation, behavioral health care, information about smoking cessation, and more.
Ruth Brexendorf Stifel Fellowship
With our fellowship, we mentor the next generation of midwives while impacting maternal and infant health outcomes in our region and beyond. The Midwife Center developed the Ruth Brexendorf Stifel Fellowship in 2010 to address the growing demand for our services and birth centers across the country. According to the CDC National Center for Vital Statistics, the annual number of birth center births grew by 60% between 2008-2018. The Midwife Center has hosted 17 Fellows since 2010 and, in 2024, we will be welcoming two new Fellows.