THE DES MOINES BIRTHPLACE
RECORDS, 1980-1993
2.75 linear feet
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ACQUISITION: |
The records (donor
no. 276) were donated by Dana
Ericson in 1995 and succeeding years. |
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ACCESS: |
The records are open
for research. Researchers wishing to
view the Patient Evaluation forms in |
|
COPYRIGHT: |
Copyright has been transferred to the |
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PHOTOGRAPHS: |
In |
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PROCESSED BY: |
Natalie S. Brody, 1996 and
succeeding years. [ |
History
The Des Moines
BirthPlace, an out-of-hospital birth center specializing in nurse-midwifery
services, was established by Womancare, Inc., in 1984 and became Iowa's first
licensed birth center. During the eight
years of its existence, 274 babies were born at the center. The center offered routine gynecological
exams, pregnancy counseling, prenatal care, childbirth classes, labor and
delivery facilities and postpartum care.
It provided a place where women could give birth in a homelike
setting. A certified nurse midwife (CNM)
and a registered nurse attended each birth with a physician providing
twenty-four-hour medical backup should a complication arise. Concern for safety at a facility outside a
hospital tempered the medical community's support of BirthPlace. The center closed in 1992 when its backup
physician no longer had sufficient time to provide his service.
When
the Des Moines BirthPlace opened in 1984 it became part of a nationwide network
of birth centers. In 1975 the Maternity
Center Association (MCA) had opened the first childbearing center in the nation
in
The
second phase in developing a national support system for freestanding birth
centers was inaugurated in May 1983 with the establishment of the National
Association of Childbearing Centers (NACC).
Like its predecessors, NACC is devoted to providing guidelines,
standards, licensure, reimbursement, public information and direct assistance
to operating centers. The group also
collects data, disseminates information, provides consultations and offers
workshops.
Scope and
Content Note
The Des Moines BirthPlace
records date from 1980 to 1993
and measure 2.75 linear
feet. The records are
arranged in six series: Administrative
files, Legal documents, Financial records, National birth centers, Photographs,
and Patient evaluations.
The Administrative files
series (1982-1992) includes organizational materials; Financial records comprises
budgets and fundraising .information; National Birth Centers contains
information about centers throughout the country and national birth center
organizations. Photographs of the
babies born at the center from August 1984 to April 1990 are included in two
albums.
The Patient evaluation series includes
questionnaire responses from persons using the BirthPlace facility. Researchers wishing to view the Patient
Evaluation forms in
Administrative files
Correspondence, NACC and
miscellaneous, 1982-1992
Directory data, 1986
Evaluations and statistics,
1982-1990
Goals, 1987-1990
Fanlight Productions,
1985-1986
Newspaper clippings,
1980-1993
Policy and procedures, 1988
Recruitment, 1991
Speaking engagements,
1983-1989
Organization
Advisory Board, 1981-1984
Board of Directors
1986-1988 (3 folders)
1990-1991 (4 folders)
Poster, undated [shelved in mapcase]
Legal documents
Articles of incorporation and
by-laws, 1981, 1984, 1987, 1991
Claims, 1989-1991
Hospital privileges,
1984-1990
Leases, 1983-1991
Medical back-up agreements,
1982-1987
Financial records
Budgets, 1984-1992
Fundraising
General, 1982-1986
Correspondence and
memoranda, 1986-1990
Mailing list, 1989
Proposal, 1983
Prospects, undated
Foundations
Hawley Foundation, 1983-1984
Mid-Iowa Health Foundation,
1984-1990
Ms. Foundation for Women,
1986-1987
Northwest Area Foundation
grant, 1982-1985
ONE GIFT Charity Campaign,
1988
Pew Charitable Trusts, 1986
National birth centers
Accreditation, 1986-1989
Background information,
1982-1992
National surveys, 1985-1990
Newspaper clippings,
1983-1993
Organizations
National Association of
Childbearing Centers (NACC)
Background, 1985-1991
Conventions
1987
1988-1989
1990
1991
Membership directories,
1986-1987, 1991
NACC News, 1983-1991
Photographs
Baby albums
1984-1989
1989-1990
Miscellaneous, undated
RESTRICTED: See staff member.
Patient evaluations
1984-1986
1987-1988
1989-1990 and undated