Stamford Health, a Connecticut-based non-profit healthcare system, has partnered with New York-based maternity care clinic Oula to enhance maternity care services in Connecticut.
The collaboration will integrate Oula’s midwife-led approach to pregnancy, birth, and postpartum care with Stamford Health’s established maternity services.
The two organisations will open a new practice, dubbed Oula provided by Stamford Health.
Through Oula provided by Stamford Health, Oula enters the Connecticut market and Stamford Health introduces its first midwifery offering.
The new joint practice aims to open two new maternity clinics in the state, over the next year.
The first clinic will be opened in Norwalk later this year, offering person-centred care from midwives and OB-GYNs, including gynaecology and pregnancy care.
It will provide gynaecology and pregnancy care from preconception to postpartum, with access to care navigators and virtual support.
Oula co-founder and CEO Adrianne Nickerson said: “Stamford Health has long been at the forefront of delivering high-quality maternity care, and we share a commitment to improving patient outcomes, experience, and equity.
“We know that approximately 80% of women are interested in care that integrates OB-GYN and midwifery.
“We are thrilled to partner with Stamford Health to launch this collaborative midwifery program that will increase access to the comprehensive care that people want and deserve.”
Stamford Hospital, where around 2,400 infants are born annually, will host the deliveries from the new clinics.
The hospital is supported by a specialised team including nurses, OB-GYNs, neonatologists, and maternal foetal medicine experts.
Patients will also benefit from the newly renovated Whittingham Pavilion, which features state-of-the-art facilities for mother-baby services.
Stamford Health said the partnership aligns with its strategy to collaborate with organisations, enhancing patient care in Fairfield County.
Stamford Health president and CEO Kathleen Silard: “In addition to the expert, compassionate care for which Stamford Health is known, our patients expect and deserve a variety of care options.
“This relationship with Oula will expand access and allow individual patients and their care partners innovative and high-quality midwifery care options throughout their prenatal and postpartum care journeys.”
