Intermountain Nurse-Midwifery Program Celebrates 25 Years

The Intermountain Nurse-Midwifery Program at Intermountain Medical Center, which has helped deliver more than 10,000 babies, is celebrating its 25th anniversary.

The Intermountain nurse-midwifery practice began at LDS Hospital in 1989 and moved to Intermountain Medical Center when the hospital opened in 2007. The certified nurse-midwives in the practice have attended to more than 10,000 births during that time, including about 3,500 births at Intermountain Medical Center.

Their scope of the midwife practice covers women across their life spans, and includes well-woman gynecology, basic primary care, family planning and a special focus on careduring pregnancy and childbirth. Maternal Fetal Medicine provides their medical backup.

Three of the practice’s founding members are still with the program: Ida Ripley, CNM, Deanne Williams, CNM, and Debbie MacDonald-Burgon, continue to bring midwifery care to women and their families at Intermountain Medical Center.

The midwifery philosophy is the framework for healthcare delivery at Intermountain Nurse-Midwives: It includes the recognition and facilitation of natural processes, use of intervention when appropriate, advocacy and education of women and their families, promotion of health, disease prevention and the reduction of complications.

“The midwifery model is inherently patient-centered, drawing upon each woman’s individual beliefs, preferences, and values about birth,” says Angela Anderson, CNM, DNP, director of Intermountain Nurse Midwives. One benefit of that philosophy: The practice has maintained a primary cesarean birth rate of between 6 and 8 percent for the past 12 years.

“Congratulations to the staff of Intermountain Nurse-Midwives for 25 years of expertise, service, and influence,” says Suzanne Anderson, RN, MSN, Intermountain Medical Center’s Nurse Administrator. “They’re a very effective component of our Women’s Services program, and their impact has enhanced the health and the lives ofthousands of women and their families.”