UF Health North will close its birth center on Wednesday, July 31.
The UF Health Birth Center At UF Health North is strictly for natural births using midwives at the faculty. It is one of 12 birthing centers in Jacksonville.
In May, UF Health North sent out a statement announcing the birth center’s closing would take place in late July. The statement said, “We know our patients value choices and we are committed to working collaboratively with them to create a plan that reflects their preferences whenever possible and preserves many of the features traditionally associated with our Birth Center.”
Since the announcement birthing centers, like at St. Vincent’s on the Southside and Teen Moons Midwifery Care have noticed an influx in patience from UF Health North Birth Center.
Full Circle Women's Care Owner Dr. Chandra Adams said, “It’s been affecting us in a positive way. We’ve had an influx of patients who were planning to deliver at the UF Health Birth Center.”
Adam said she noticed that patients weren’t just changing centers because of the closure, but because the travel time was too far for soon-to-be-mothers.
Adams said, "The patients that I have gotten, distance has been the issue, not so much the faculties. A lot of these women have been traveling from St. Augustine and even farther, past several hospitals for the birth center experience."
UF Health North declined to comment beyond the statement released in May.
Madison Roberts can be reached at newsteam@wjct.org or (904)358-6317.
Photo used under Creative Commons license.
