Birth and natural medicine partner up
Mount Vernon Birth Center and an expansion of Skagit Natural Family Medicine, LLC, are celebrating a new partnership with an open house 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 19 at 916 S. 3rd St. in Mount Vernon.
Visitors are invited to meet and celebrate with the health care providers and tour both the new birth center and clinic expansion.
There will be giveaways, refreshments, and activities and games for children.
The Mount Vernon Birth Center will offer a midwifeattended out-of-hospital birth center option in Skagit County for those who desire natural labor.
It is expected to begin serving birthing women this summer.
Women who give birth at Mount Vernon Birth Center will benefit from one-on-one care and an intimate, comfortable environment with birth tubs in each room. The safety of birth centers has been well established, and is associated with excellent health outcomes.
A recent report by Washington Department of Health found tremendous cost savings and lower cesarean section rates with the use of licensed midwifery care in out-of-hospital settings.
In 2008, according to Washington Vital Statistics, midwives (including hospital, birth center and home births) attended 16.9 percent of births in Skagit County.
Out-of-hospital births accounted for 4 percent of births regionally.
Skagit Natural Family Medicine, a unique integrative primary care clinic, is opening an expanded clinic to better serve new and existing patients.
The clinic has tripled its size by adding six exam rooms, provider offices and conference space. The clinic provides primary care medicine to people of all ages and is able to integrate the best of conventional, natural, and alternative medicine to meet individual health care needs. Three of the providers are licensed naturopathic physicians, which is a specialty field that emphasizes preventative care and may use treatments such as nutrition, herbal medicine, and lifestyle changes in addition to births regionally.
Skagit Natural Family Medicine, a unique integrative primary care clinic, is opening an expanded clinic to better serve new and existing patients.
The clinic has tripled its size by adding six exam rooms, provider offices and conference space. The clinic provides primary care medicine to people of all ages and is able to integrate the best of conventional, natural, and alternative medicine to meet individual health care needs. Three of the providers are licensed naturopathic physicians, which is a specialty field that emphasizes preventative care and may use treatments such as nutrition, herbal medicine, and lifestyle changes in addition to conventional medications. Other healthcare at the clinic includes family practice nurse practitioner care, acupuncture, and midwifery.
Currently in practice at the clinic are family nurse practitioner and naturopathic doctor Seth Cowan naturopathic doctor and licensed acupuncturist Rebecca Wilhelm, naturopathic doctor and licensed midwife Michelle Antonich, and licensed midwife Melissa Hughes.
Local midwives, including Skagit Natural Family Medicine, LLC, midwives, will attend births at the Birth Center.
Skagit Natural Family Medicine and the Mount Vernon Birth Center are conveniently located at 916 S 3rd Street in downtown Mount Vernon, just a few blocks off I-5, less than a mile from the hospital.
Open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday trough Friday, the clinic accepts most insurances, with same day appointments available.
More information about the clinic can be found at www.skagitdocs.net or by calling 360-336-5658.
The birth center will accept most health insurance including Medicaid. More information about the birth center can be found at www. mountvernonbirthcenter. com, or call 360- 336-9997.
