Mount Sinai West To Close In-Hospital Birthing Center

HELL'S KITCHEN, NY — Mount Sinai West Hospital is planning to close its in-hospital birthing center by the end of the year, hospital officials said.

The hospital, located on 10th Avenue between West 58th and West 59th streets, is doing away with the center in order to use the space to expand its neonatal intensive care unit and create a new labor and delivery facility, hospital officials said.

The birthing center was opened in 1996 to offer "the freedom and comfort of a home birth, while ensuring that total medical support is just a floor away," according to Mount Sinai Wests' website. The center's rooms were set up to resemble a home instead of a medical facility and featured hardwood floors and spa-sized tubs for labor. After labor, the mothers completed their hospital stay in the same room with access to postpartum care, infant care and parent education, according to the hospital website.

The conversion of the birthing center into and expanded neonatal intensive care unit and a new labor and delivery unit were deemed "critically necessary," according to a hospital statement.

"The newly configured Labor and Delivery area and NICU expansion will allow us to provide improved patient safety, comfort and delivery of care to all mothers and infants, especially those who require extra care. Mount Sinai is committed to providing patient-centered care for all expectant mothers and supporting each mother’s unique childbirth experience," a hospital spokeswoman said in a statement.

"We respect a woman’s birthing choice and will continue to offer the option of a childbirth experience that includes low medical intervention, accessibility to midwives, and one that ensures the health and well-being of both mother and baby."

Mount Sinai's decision has stirred some backlash. An online petition on the website change.org has garnered more than 3,000 signatures in favor of saving the birthing center. When Mount Sinai West's center closes, there will only be one in-hospital birthing center left in the city located at New York Presbyterian's Lower Manhattan Hospital.

"The Birthing Center is a vital part of maternal health in NYC and has a rich history that should be preserved. It has, for decades, been a healthy, safe and welcoming environment for families to give birth in." the creator of the petition wrote in a letter to Mount Sinai officials.

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