Bentonville Opens New Birthing Center

Bates Medical Center in Bentonville is back in the baby business. The hospital recently opened its $2 million Family BirthPlace, a facility that allows Bates to deliver babies for the first time in more than 14 years.

The birthing center in the new 7,500-SF facility is modeled after that of its sister hospital, Northwest Medical Center in Springdale. Both hospitals are part of Northwest Health System. In the birthing center, labor, delivery and recovery all take place in the same room.

A team of registered nurses – all of whom are trained in labor, delivery and care of newborns – staffs the Family BirthPlace. Medical staff members monitor the process from a central monitoring system while allowing each family privacy. For infants born with health problems, a helicopter is nearby to transport them to Northwest Medical’s neonatal intensive care nursery.

Northwest Health System is owned by Quorum Health Group, which has announced plans to eventually replace the Bates facility with a new hospital.