Gruver reported from Cheyenne, Wyoming.

The midwives who run the program welcome vulnerable patients that other practices turn away, such as those who are uninsured or haven’t had prenatal care until late in pregnancy.Founded by British immigrant Jennie Joseph about 26 years ago, it has never had a maternal death.

“We have these four tenets that go with my model: access, connection, knowledge and empowerment,” she said. Some patients “cry because they’ve never had that kind of care or respect.”Joseph’s organization relies heavily on philanthropy, which makes up about half its $3.5 million budget. This allows the clinics to accept patients who can pay little or nothing.For women with no major health problems, research shows midwifery is cheaper globally than care led by OB-GYNs and leads to fewer medical procedures like C-sections, said Marian Knight, a professor of maternal and child population health at the University of Oxford in England.

Some of Commonsense Childbirth’s patients with complications are referred to specialists. Most choose to give birth at a local hospital, where Joseph has forged strong ties. They then return to a midwife for postpartum care.“It’s Jennie’s National Health Service,” Joseph said with a sly smile.

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▶ Follow live updates onagainst a a communication network of its Foreign Ministry, officials said on Wednesday.

The Foreign Ministry in Prague said the malicious activities started in 2022 and targeted the country’s critical infrastructure, adding it believed the Advanced Persistent Threat 31, or APT31,, which is associated with the Chinese Ministry of State Security, was behind the campaign.

It was not immediately clear what specific information were seized or what damage was caused by the attacks. The Czech ministry said a new communication system has already been put in place.Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský said in a separate statement that his ministry summoned China’s ambassador to Prague to make it clear to Beijing “that such activities have serious impacts on mutual relations.”