Access to maternal health in the U.S. is becoming increasingly challenging. With the closure of obstetrics units in hospitals and resulting expansion of maternity deserts, the need for high-quality rural obstetric providers has never been more critical. Birth centers and midwives are an essential part of this solution, and the story of Cocoon Wellness and Birth Center is a powerful example of how preparedness and collaboration can make a difference.
Jennifer Seymour, the lead midwife at Cocoon Wellness and Birth Center, and her dedicated team serve a rural community in upstate New York, an area where hospital closures have left large regions without access to adequate maternity or neonatal care.
Over the last several years, the Step Up Together team had the privilege of working alongside Jennifer and her team, witnessing their unwavering commitment to preparedness for perinatal emergencies and their dedication to providing safe, respectful, and family-centered care, even when transferring clients across levels of care.
The Power of Collaboration
Most recently, the team at Cocoon Wellness and Birth Center participated in Step Up Together’s 2024 Action Collaborative, joining forces with physician and nursing members from their regional hospital, located about 30 minutes away. From the start, the hospital team was engaged and committed—a milestone that isn’t always easy to achieve for community birth providers and a testament to Jennifer’s persistent efforts to build strong partnerships.
In April, as part of the Action Collaborative, Amy and I visited Cocoon Wellness and Birth Center. Together with the neonatal transport team from the regional NICU, they conducted and debriefed a simulated emergency requiring the transfer of a newborn from the birth center to a higher level of care. Using one of our Drill Kits, the team ran through the scenario with everyone showing up openly and respectfully.
A Drill Becomes Reality
For the hospital team, it was their first time visiting Cocoon Wellness and Birth Center, and they were impressed by the birth center team’s preparedness, the efficiency of their systems, and their response to the clinical situation. During the debrief, both teams identified key strengths, such as a succinct script used to call for transport, as well as areas for improvement. The collaboration was intentional, respectful, and deeply humbling to witness.
Then, just a week or two later, the simulated situation became reality when Cocoon had to transfer a real newborn. One of the nurses reflected on the experience with our Action Collaborative group:
“We just had this experience [transfer scenario] last night, and it wasn’t as scary to make that decision to call the NICU and to call EMS and get those things rolling. I feel like the drill really helped us to be better prepared. Those are scary things when you have situations with babies like that, but it was pretty easy to make those calls and get things where they needed to be.”
This experience underscores exactly why we do this work. Jennifer Seymour, the team at Cocoon Wellness and Birth Center, and their regional hospital team together exemplify what’s possible when maternity care partners commit to preparedness and collaboration. Their success story demonstrates the tangible benefits that other practices can achieve by participating in a similar drill process.
Why This Matters for You
Whether you’re part of a community birth practice that has well-integrated transfer processes, or just beginning to build relationships with hospital partners, the Step Up Together program offers the tools, community, and coaching you need to enhance your emergency preparedness. Participating in a Focused Action Cycle or Action Collaborative can help you build stronger, more nimble and confident teams that are ready to respond effectively when it matters most – just like Cocoon has done.
We’re excited to continue working with Cocoon Wellness and Birth Center and many other teams across the country as we expand our programs. Together, we can make every pregnancy safe—no matter the setting.🏡 Check out Cocoon Wellness and Birth Center, a CABC-accredited midwifery center in Waverly NY https://cocoonwellness.center/
