A First- Ever Collaboration Brings NYS DOH-Approved, Cutting-Edge Birthing Centers to Brooklyn And The Five Towns

By: Rochelle Maruch Miller

Judy Ribner, DNP, CNM and Joshua Klein, MD, FACOG, visionary co-founders of the newly NYS DOH–approved birth center that is reshaping community maternity care

A glimpse down the exam-room corridor of the new birthing center, offering comprehensive maternity care, prenatal visits, ultrasound, maternal–fetal medicine consultation, newborn care, and gynecology across the lifespan

New York will soon welcome a groundbreaking advancement in maternity care: a first-ever collaboration between NYU valedictorian, doctorally prepared midwife, Judy Ribner, DNP, CNM and Harvard-trained fertility specialist Dr. Joshua Klein, FACOG, whose joint leadership has earned New York State Dpt. of Health approval to open a new Article 28 Medical & Diagnostic Treatment Center with birthing center services in Brooklyn and the Five Towns. These centers are poised to reshape maternity care by expanding access to safe, mother-led, out-of-hospital community-based birth options, an approach well-established in high-resource nations with superior maternal health outcomes.

{What Birthing Centers Offer and Why That Matters

Birthing centers are designed for healthy, low-risk pregnancies and provide an evidence-based alternative to hospital labor and delivery units. Emphasizing physiologic, mother-led childbirth, birthing centers promote freedom of movement in labor, upright birth positions, and gentle births. Clinically, they are associated with lower intervention rates, including fewer inductions and cesareans, while maintaining excellent safety outcomes. Birth centers also preserve the human experience of birth: privacy, autonomy, and a peaceful environment where families feel heard and supported.

Licensed birthing centers combine high clinical standards with a home-like atmosphere, staffed by qualified midwives and supported by physicians and hospital care when needed. The new centers will offer each family a private birth suite complete with an in-room birth tub (as a waterbirth option), private bathroom, and shower. The birth centers offer ultrasound, prenatal care, newborn care, postpartum care, chiropractic treatment, and full-scope gynecological services.

With two locations, the centers anticipate attending over 1,700 births annually, meeting the rapidly-growing demand in Brooklyn and the Five Towns for safe, high-quality, community-based birthing options.

{The Leadership Behind the Vision

This initiative was driven by a unique leadership team whose collective expertise spans fertility, obstetrics, midwifery, maternal-fetal medicine, community birth, and quality improvement.

{Judy Ribner, DNP, CNM

Judy Ribner has an extraordinary academic and clinical background. A valedictorian of Bais Yaakov Academy High School, she went on to earn her nursing degree from CUNY, where she was recognized as a Merit Scholar for Outstanding Academic Excellence and Leadership. She completed her Master of Science in Midwifery at SUNY Downstate with high honors, followed by her doctorate at NYU, graduating as valedictorian.

Her doctoral included extensive clinical work in the New York medical system as well as comprehensive analysis of state and national maternity outcomes. She traveled overseas to learn firsthand about other high-performing maternity systems, and identified the expansion of midwife-led care as a pathway to improving outcomes in New York. Her scholarship, focused on maternal safety and quality improvement, earned her a top distinction at NYU. She is the founder of Holistic Midwifery of New York, the largest community-based birth practice in NYC and Long Island.

{Joshua U. Klein, MD, FACOG

Joshu U. Klein, MD, FACOG is a Harvard-trained reproductive endocrinologist and infertility specialist, completing both his medical education and OB-GYN residency at Harvard and his fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology at Columbia University. Dr. Klein is the co-founder and chief clinical officer of Extend Fertility. Renowned for his forward-thinking, innovative, and clinically rigorous approach, Dr. Klein has extensive expertise in reproductive medicine and a reputation for integrating cutting-edge practices into patient care. His partnership with Dr. Ribner spans several years and reflects a shared mission to provide a safe, community- based maternity care practice in New York that expands birth choice and emphasizes quality improvement.

{Additional Leadership

Medical Director: Dr. Melinda S. Mann, MD, FACOG, an OBGYN with over 40 years of clinical experience, supported by the Department of Health for her leadership and safety oversight.

Midwifery Director: Malki Schuler, CNM, MSN whose dual background includes extensive experience in both a tertiary-level labor and delivery unit and out of hospital community birth settings, giving her a rare perspective across the entire continuum of maternity care.

Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialist (Brooklyn): Dr. Yevgeniya Pozharny, MD, FACOG, formerly of North Shore–LIJ and currently the founder of Brooklyn’s largest community-based MFM practice.

{A Model Aligned with Global Best Practices & New York’s Public Health Priorities

Countries with the world’s best maternal outcomes, such as the Netherlands, New Zealand, and the U.K., share a common feature: strong access to midwifery care and safe out-of-hospital community birthing options. These new Article 28 centers reflect these gold-standard models. The New York State Department of Health has strongly supported this project, recognizing it as a meaningful step toward addressing maternal morbidity and mortality in the state. This initiative is innovative, safety-driven, and directly aligned with public-health quality improvement goals.

{Exclusive Event: Meet the Leadership

To introduce the community to this groundbreaking model of care, an exclusive Meet & Greet for doulas and birth professionals will be held at Barbacoa Burger House on November 30 from 11:00-11:30 a.m. at 142 Spruce Street, Cedarhurst, NY.

At 11:30 a.m., the doors will open to the public for families, expectant parents, and community members to learn more about the birthing centers, the research underpinning this model, and what these state-approved facilities will offer. The centers feature brand-new, upscale facilities with on-site parking.

{Reshaping Maternity Care in New York

With their shared vision, clinical and academic achievements, unwavering commitment to safety, and future-thinking approach, Drs. Ribner and Klein are forging a new path for maternity services in New York. These centers represent a pioneering model of NYS-DOH-supported, clinically robust, and deeply human care. They offer families a future where childbirth is safe, gentle, and empowering. n

Rochelle Maruch Miller is a contributing editor for the Five Towns Jewish Times. She is a journalist, creative media consultant, lecturer, educator, and writes for magazines, newspapers, websites, and private clients. She welcomes your comments at [email protected]. Read more of Rochelle Maruch Miller’s articles at 5TJT.com.