BIRTH & WOMEN'S HEALTH CENTER AN EL RIO CLINIC

We are a women's health clinic offering safe, gentle gynecological care for women of all ages. As the only freestanding birth center in Southern Arizona, we specialize in natural childbirth, but also support women in all of the pain relief options available to them. We offer one-on-one, specialized care by our professional nurse-midwives, in a warm, safe, and secure environment. From water births to annual exams and from prenatal education to birth control, experience the personal and attentive care of midwives.

We believe that pregnancy is a natural, normal event in the life of a family. Every family we care for is unique. CNMs support each family's preferences and needs, helping to create a safe and satisfying experience. Here at the Birth Center, you will be encouraged to actively participate in the decisions that affect your health care. We take the time to listen and treat you with respect and dignity. We believe that human touch and technology

In 1982, two Certified Nurse-Midwives (CNMs), Kathryn Schrag and Mariann Shinoskie, joined together to open Arizona's first freestanding birth center. John N. Vrtiska, MD was our consulting obstetrician/gynecologist and continues to be a vital part of this practice. From 1986-1989 the Birth Center was a part of Thomas Davis Medical Center. We then became a private OB/GYN and Nurse Midwifery/Nurse Practitioner practice and became Birth & Women's Health Center, which moved locations to be adjacent to Tucson Medical Center. In 1998, we joined several other OB/GYNs to become Associates in Women's Health Care, LLC.

In May of 2002, Associates in Women's Health Care (AWHC), the parent organization of the Birth Center, announced their decision to abruptly discontinue midwifery services and the Birth Center option due to financial concerns. The response from patients, staff and the community at large was swift and of one voice: Tucson needs its Birth Center. There has to be a way. The Foundation for Women's Health and Wellness committed itself to the goal of reopening the Center as a nonprofit entity.

That summer was a frenzy of activity. Several of the nurse-midwives incorporated as a private practice to continue midwifery services, with all births taking place at Tucson Medical Center. AWHC offered to continue being the collaborating physicians, to continue malpractice insurance and managed care contracts for the CNMs, and to provide three months of rent-free space at the Birth Center for the CNM practice.