Article updated: 1/23/2013 5:30 PM

Illinois takes baby steps toward 1st birth center

Buy this photo Buy this photo
Gallery Image

Certified nurse midwife Danielle Kraessig meets with patient Yakini Branch at the PCC South Family Health Center Wednesday in Berwyn. The clinic might receive a permit to operate the first birth center in Illinois as soon as Feb. 5.

Associated Press

About this Article

Rocking chairs, birthing tubs and changing tables haven't yet been ordered, but organizers in West suburban Berwyn are eager to start furnishing their birth center — which may become the first such facility in Illinois. The birth center at PCC South Family Health Center needs a permit and a license. But these steps seem within reach after years of work by supporters of options for Illinois women with low-risk pregnancies.