Senate Resolution No. 1259

BY: Senator COMRIE

MEMORIALIZING Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim
September 14-20, 2025, as Birth Center Awareness
Week in the State of New York

WHEREAS, Birth centers are freestanding healthcare facilities that
provide safe, midwifery-led care supporting pregnancy, birth,
postpartum, newborn care, and family wellness; and

WHEREAS, Birth centers are guided by the principles of safety,
prevention, patient- and family-centered care, appropriate medical
intervention, shared decision-making, cultural sensitivity, and
cost-effectiveness; and

WHEREAS, Over 400 birth centers across the United States provide a
broad range of services including prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum
care, wellness exams, newborn exams, STI screening and treatment,
contraceptive care, and family planning services; and

WHEREAS, Decades of research - including two large-scale national
birth center studies and the CMS-funded Strong Start for Mothers and
Newborns Initiative - have demonstrated that midwifery-led birth centers
significantly improve birth outcomes, reduce cesarean sections, lower
rates of preterm and low-birthweight births, increase breastfeeding
rates, and provide cost-effective care for childbearing families; and

WHEREAS, Recent data from the National Vital Statistics Reports
shows that between 2019 and 2022, there was a 33.2% increase in families
choosing community births, with significant growth among Black, Native
American, Hispanic, White, and Asian families; and

WHEREAS, Studies confirm that culturally centered, community-based
birth centers improve care experiences for families in rural, minority,
and underserved communities while helping address persistent racial and
geographic disparities in perinatal care; and

WHEREAS, New York is one of eight state chapters of the American
Association of Birth Centers (AABC), yet there are currently only eight
birth centers operating across the entire state of New York; and

WHEREAS, Despite being home to over 2.4 million residents, the
Borough of Queens - one of the most diverse communities in the nation -
currently has no freestanding birth center available to serve its
families and address local maternal health disparities; and

WHEREAS, Birth By Queens Foundation is actively working to change
this disparity in access to care by leading the creation of the first
birth center in Queens, representing a vital reinvestment in the health,
wellness, and future of Queens families; and

WHEREAS, Birth By Queens Foundation is actively leading the
development of the first freestanding birth center in Queens,
representing an important investment in addressing longstanding maternal
health disparities, increasing access to midwifery-led care, providing

culturally centered services, and improving outcomes for families across
Queens and New York City; and

WHEREAS, The birth center model represents a proven solution to the
United States maternal health crisis and is a vital component of
addressing longstanding inequities and improving maternal health
outcomes in New York State; and

WHEREAS, Expanding access to birth center care in Queens and across
New York will ensure that all individuals have access to safe,
respectful, person-centered, and community-rooted maternity care; now,
therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
memorialize Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim September 14-20, 2025, as
Birth Center Awareness Week in the State of New York, and to encourage
families, communities, healthcare professionals, hospitals, insurers,
policymakers, and the public to recognize and support the essential role
of birth centers and midwifery-led care in improving health outcomes for
all; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to The Honorable Kathy Hochul, Governor of the State of New
York.