Help MBWC Close with Integrity

MBWC will close its doors on September 1st, 2024, almost 7 years after opening Monterey's first and only Nationally Accredited freestanding Birth Center.

Please read Caroline, Jacqueline & Heather's message below:

When we opened in 2017, we had a vision of providing the best integrative midwifery care in an environment that supported physiologic birth and wellness. The goal of the Birth Center was to make this model of care visible and accessible to every family in Monterey County. Though we were never paid well, we knew those first few years would be spent developing relationships with the community and other providers and laying the groundwork for taking insurance, national accreditation and systems creation. The pandemic was a challenging time for us all, closing our classroom and community space, but we managed to get by with a disaster loan and the small baby "boom" that happened in 2021. Unfortunately since then, we have seen the birth rate fall, the cost of utilities, medical supplies and malpractice skyrocket, without an increase in our insurance reimbursement rates. We have less cash pay families and occasionally, families have been unable to pay us at all.

Keeping MBWC open has dominated our every waking thought for the past three years. We have shifted our marketing in hopes of reaching more people, added more insurance and cost-share contracts, reduced our staff and expenses, and continued for months without a salary. Looking at our financials in April, the starkness of our inability to pay our most basic expenses revealed that closing the Birth Center was the only way forward.

Our closure will leave a hole in Monterey's healthcare system and in the hearts of the many families we have served over the past 7 years. The Birth Center was a symbol of what healthcare could be. The loss of this and the physical closure of our space is gutting.

Many folks have asked how they can help the Center in this transition. Closing, like opening, is expensive. It costs about 40k to keep the Center open each month. Our highest priority is closing with integrity: ensuring that our families through September 1st are well cared for, providing refunds for those due past September, keeping our lights on and paying down as many debts as possible. We will continue to not take a salary in this closing; all of the money will go to the families we serve and the enormous closing costs.

If you are unable to donate, consider making a well person appointment or Pap smear. You can also purchase supplements through our store: https://mbwc-online-store.square.site/

Really, every little bit helps.

Sincerely,

Caroline, Heather & Jacqueline