#431 - [Neo News] - 📌 Why Are Freestanding Birth Centers Struggling to Stay Open?

Send us Fan MailIn this Neo News segment, Ben and Eli tackle a pressing Stateline report on the paradoxical struggle of freestanding birth centers. While hospital labor and delivery units are closing nationwide, alternative birth centers are facing aggressive regulatory hurdles and forced closures in states like Alabama. The hosts discuss the downstream effects on maternal health equity, the rise of unregulated crisis pregnancy centers, and the clinical realities of out-of-hospital births like hyperbilirubinemia and missed newborn screens. Plus, they dive into the EMTALA implications for hospital transfers and highlight key takeaways on neonatal advocacy and teleneonatology from the recent Delphi Conference. Tune in for a critical policy discussion!----https://stateline.org/2026/01/05/freestanding-birth-centers-are-closing-as-maternity-care-gaps-grow/Support the showAs always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or suggestions to our email: [email protected]. You can also contact the show through Instagram or Twitter, @nicupodcast. Or contact Ben and Daphna directly via their Twitter profiles: @drnicu and @doctordaphnamd. The papers discussed in today's episode are listed and timestamped on the webpage linked below.Enjoy!