Seven Sisters birth centre teeters on brink of closure in Massachusetts
Updated
Updated · The Boston Globe · Apr 30
Seven Sisters birth centre teeters on brink of closure in Massachusetts
5 articles · Updated · The Boston Globe · Apr 30
The Florence facility, the state's last freestanding birth centre, has served more than 950 patients since 2020 but says it runs at a deficit despite a months-long waiting list.
Founder Ginny Miller says MassHealth pays about $6,000 per birth versus $7,700 for hospitals, while billing delays, denied claims and transfer-related cuts worsen finances.
The strain comes after 13 Massachusetts maternity units and three birth centres closed in the past decade, even as the state funds new centres and studies maternal-care disparities.
With most birth centers closing despite state support, can new funding and laws truly save Massachusetts' last independent facility before it's too late?
Could new care models like Florida's 'advanced birth centers' reshape maternity care, or do they risk undermining traditional midwifery and patient safety?