Tyler Childers speaks out against birthing center closure: "We were intending on going here"

The country music star and his wife Senora welcomed their first child at Fort Logan in 2022. They were planning to deliver their second baby there this summer.

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Country music star Tyler Childers is adding his voice to the growing opposition against the closure of Fort Logan Hospital's birthing center in Stanford, Kentucky.

In a statement posted to Instagram, the Kentucky native revealed that he and his wife, singer-songwriter Senora May, welcomed their first child at the facility in September 2022- and had planned to return for the birth of their second baby, due later this summer.

"Saddened to hear about the impending closure of the birthing center at Ephraim McDowell," Childers wrote. "In Sept of 2022, Senora gave birth to our baby boy here. We were intending on going here for the birth of our second baby, who we are expecting later this summer."

Childers, who grew up in Lawrence County in eastern Kentucky and now lives in the state, called the facility "a vital part of maternal care in the Stanford area" and "a top-notch medical facility that Kentucky should be proud of."

He also highlighted a concern that mothers fighting the closure have been raising for weeks: the impact on local Amish communities.

"It would greatly affect the Amish community surrounding the birthing center as well," Childers wrote.

The planned closure

Ephraim McDowell Health announced on January 16 that inpatient labor and delivery services at Fort Logan Hospital would move to their regional medical center in Danville, effective February 16- giving the community just 30 days' notice.

The birthing center was founded 40 years ago by Dr. Jay Miller, a family physician who arrived in Lincoln County to find four surrounding counties with zero obstetric services. He has since delivered more than 10,000 babies at the facility.

Fort Logan's approach to childbirth- emphasizing natural labor support, water birth options, private garden patios for laboring mothers, and nurses extensively trained in comfort measures- has earned it recognition as one of the best maternity facilities in the state. The hospital has consistently maintained one of Kentucky's lowest cesarean section rates.

U.S. News & World Report recently named Fort Logan one of only six "Best Hospitals for Maternity Care" in Kentucky- the only small rural hospital on the list- and one of just two "Maternity Access Hospitals" in the state, a designation indicating its critical role in keeping care accessible.

"Kentucky should be proud"

Childers' public support comes as mothers affected by the closure have been reaching out to legislators, board members, and media outlets in an effort to either stop the closure or push for policy changes that would require longer notice periods in the future.

Research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association has found that when rural communities lose OB services, infant mortality rates rise by approximately 14 percent.

For Childers and Senora May, the closure means finding a new plan for their second child's birth- joining the approximately 300 patients currently under care at the facility who are now scrambling to make alternative arrangements.

Ephraim McDowell Health has stated that the Danville facility offers access to neonatologists and a Level II Special Care Nursery, calling the move an opportunity to "elevate the level of care" for mothers and babies. The hospital is approximately 11 miles- or a 15-20 minute drive- from Fort Logan.

Dr. Miller and other providers have expressed concerns that the added distance poses safety risks for obstetric emergencies, where minutes can be critical.