Blog

Practice Makes Prepared: Choosing Between Partial and Full Transfer Drills—and Why Both Matter

then updated July 23, 2025.

By Amy Romano, MBA, MSN, CNM, FACNM

In community birth settings like birth centers and home birth practices, emergencies are rare—but when they happen, everyone needs to be ready. That’s why interdisciplinary emergency drills are so critical: they help teams practice protocols, build trust across settings, and make life-saving decisions more efficient under pressure. At Step Up Together, we’ve seen firsthand how

Integrating Doulas into Community Birth Transfer Drills

then updated July 7, 2025.

By Emily Bronson

Practicing for community-to-hospital birth transfers for clinical emergencies is crucial for effective preparedness for all professionals involved in the birth process. Though these events are rare, there is a real chance that a birth doula will be present when a birthing person requires a transfer from a home or birth center.  As part of the

New National Guidelines Strengthen Intermittent Auscultation in Community Birth Settings

then updated July 27, 2026.

By Amy Romano, MBA, MSN, CNM, FACNM

We’re proud to share that new national guidelines for fetal assessment using intermittent auscultation (IA) in community birth settings have just been published in Birth: Issues in Perinatal Care. These midwifery-led, peer-reviewed guidelines mark a critical step toward strengthening safety, clarity, and collaboration in home and birth center birth. The new guidelines were developed through

Building Trust and Improving Safety

then updated July 7, 2025.

By Alexa Dougherty, MSN, PHN, CNM

When Burr Ridge Birth Center (BRBC) opened its doors in Spring 2021, it was only the third birth center in the state and the first in its county. This interview offers a detailed look at how Step Up Together has strengthened BRBC’s approach to safety, collaboration, and client care.

🎉 Birth Detroit, Henry Ford Hospital, and Birth Center Week 2024

then updated July 7, 2025.

By Alexa Dougherty, MSN, PHN, CNM

Join the conversation on building collaborative care for safe community birth! In celebration of Birth Center Week 2024, Step Up Together partnered with Birth Center Equity, Birth Detroit and Henry Ford Health to explore how interprofessional drills can strengthen communication and preparedness between community birth centers and hospitals. Read key takeaways from the webinar and discover strategies to foster seamless, respectful birth care for all communities.

Amy’s on ACOG’s AIM for Better Birth Podcast!

then updated July 7, 2025.

By Alexa Dougherty, MSN, PHN, CNM

Discover new tools and insights for improving perinatal safety! In this post, Amy shares her contributions to ACOG’s new AIM Community Birth Transfer Resource Kit and discusses the importance of quality improvement and collaboration in community birth on the AIM for Safer Birth podcast. Explore key takeaways and learn how Step Up Together can help advance safety in your care setting.

Rural Emergency Preparedness: A Success Story at Cocoon Wellness and Birth Center

then updated July 7, 2025.

By Alexa Dougherty, MSN, PHN, CNM

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

Celebrating Success: Step Up Together’s First Action Collaborative for Birth Centers and Hospital Partners

then updated July 7, 2025.

By Alexa Dougherty, MSN, PHN, CNM

In May 2024, the Step Up Together team at Primary Maternity Care (PMC) celebrated a significant milestone—the completion of our first Action Collaborative focused specifically on birth centers and their hospital partners. We’re thrilled to share that it was a resounding success!This collaborative effort adds  to Step Up Together’s growing  curriculum of programs aimed at

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