Current through Register Vol. XLI, No. 35, August 30, 2024
Section 64-31-4 - Definitions4.1. Applicant - The person who submits an application for an original or a renewal license to operate a birthing center or birthing service.4.2. Birthing Center - A type of facility which is a building, house or the equivalent organized to provide facilities and staff to support a birthing service for pregnant clients. A birthing center should be an adaptation of a home environment to a short-stay ambulatory health care facility where low risk births are planned to occur away from the mother's usual residence following normal uncomplicated pregnancy.4.3. Birthing Service - The prenatal, intrapartum, and post partum care provided for individuals with uncomplicated pregnancy, labor and vaginal birth and newborn care during the recovery period.4.4. Client - A woman, fetus, or newborn receiving care and services provided by a birthing center during pregnancy, childbirth and recovery.4.5. Clinical Staff - Physicians, nurse-midwives, midwives and nurses appointed by the governing body of the birthing center to practice within the birthing center.4.6. Department - The West Virginia department of health.4.7. Director - The director of the West Virginia department of health or his or her lawfully appointed designee.4.8. Gender - The pronoun "he" shall denote both the masculine and feminine gender. The use of any word denoting the masculine gender shall be taken to apply to both females and males.4.9. Governing Body - The individual, agency, group or corporation, appointed, elected or otherwise designated, in which the ultimate responsibility and authority for the conduct of the birthing center is vested. 4.10. License - The document issued by the director which constitutes the authority to receive patients and perform services included within the scope of these regulations.4.11. Licensed or Registered or Certified - When applied to a person means that the person to whom the term is applied is duly licensed or registered or certified to practice a profession by the proper authority within the State of West Virginia and when applied to a facility means that the facility is duly licensed by the department of health.4.12. Low Risk Maternal Client - An individual who is in general good health who participates in ongoing prenatal care and a maternity health education program, and who has no major medical, psychological or sociological problems, and who has had no significant obstetrical complications which are likely to recur, and who is anticipated to have a medically, psychologically and sociologically uncomplicated course of pregnancy and labor, including a vaginal birth, and who is expected to accomplish birth without the use of general anesthesia.4.13. Nurse-Midwife - An individual licensed in West Virginia as a nurse-midwife.4.14. Recovery - That period of time starting at the birth and ending with the discharge of a client from the birthing center or the period of time between the birth and the time a client leaves the premises of the birthing center.4.15. Support Person - The individual selected or chosen by a maternal client to provide support and assistance during the process of labor and childbirth.