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What Is a Birth Center?
Despite offering high-quality perinatal care, 80% of California’s licensed birth centers have closed in five years. This fact sheet examines the compounding challenges that birth centers face.

What Is a Midwife? — Policy at a Glance
Midwives, ob/gyns, and family physicians are trained to deliver babies in California. In California, a worsening ob/gyn shortage paired with hospital labor and delivery unit closures have generated urgency for expanding access to midwives.

Maternity Workforce Insights
This series of conversations takes a look at the critical roles of doulas, lactation professionals, mental health professionals, and midwives.

Midwives Speak: Integration Challenges in California’s Health System
Midwives provide comprehensive health services during pregnancy, labor, and postpartum, including as the primary birth attendant. This issue brief describes the scope of practice and integration of midwives in California; their relationships with physicians, hospitals, and health plans; and their levels of career satisfaction and burnout.