SALEM, Va. – Big changes are in the works for women who give birth at LewisGale Medical Center.
The hospital announced Wednesday its new nurse-midwife services.
LewisGale will now be the only local practice for women who want less medical intervention using a nurse-midwife in a safe hospital environment, rather than at home.
“Heaven forbid something goes wrong. There’s a distance and a time factor between home and getting to a hospital, so offering that natural birth option here within the four walls of a hospital really continues supportive quality and safety approach,” said Lance Jones, president of LewisGale Regional Health System.
"It's better because it's just a different niche of obstetrics. It's a different experience than I think a lot of women knew was available and it's becoming increasingly popular," said Dr. Harris Wexler, obstetrician/gynecologist at LewisGale.
To accommodate the nurse-midwives, the hospital is redesigning rooms in the maternity center.