Crossing Generations

Meet Our Founder

Maureen Darcey, CNM, originally brought her vision and plan for opening a freestanding birth center to Piedmont Health Services in 1995 after 11 years with Chatham Family Birth Center in Siler City, NC. Through collaboration with this community health organization, the birth center opened in 1996. For more than seven years, the center existed under the name Piedmont Women’s Health Center. The center grew from a few births a month to a total of 255 births per year in 2003. The women’s wellness and gynecology services grew similarly. When PHS decided in 2003 to end its relationship with the birth center, the practice was organized under a new name and ownership. The continuation of the birth center was made possible through the committed leadership and inspiration of Maureen and dozens of supportive staff members, former and current clients and community members. Women’s Birth & Wellness Center was incorporated on Oct. 13, 2003 as a 501(c)3 non-profit and continues to thrive as an important option for birthing and women’s healthcare in the region. It is the oldest, continually-operating free-standing birth center in the state.