Tampa General Hospital Celebrates 40 Years of Midwifery

Tampa General Hospital's Women's Institute celebrated four decades of midwifery care this month, tracing the program's start to 1983 when certified nurse midwives joined the hospital's obstetric team.

The midwifery division, now a collaboration with USF Health, provides care throughout pregnancy, labor, delivery and postpartum recovery. Certified nurse midwives hold at least master's degrees, with some earning doctorates in nursing. They specialize in normal pregnancy physiology, family planning, preconception services, sexual and reproductive health, breastfeeding support and postpartum mental health education.

Jessica Brumley, a certified nurse midwife and associate professor who directs the Division of Midwifery at USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, said midwives work alongside obstetricians, high-risk pregnancy specialists, complex gynecology surgeons and fertility experts. Brumley recently became president of the American College of Nurse-Midwives.

Labor rooms feature wireless monitoring, hydrotherapy showers and water views. A partnership with USF Health OB/GYN physicians and the Florida Perinatal Quality Collaborative has positioned Tampa General as a leader in reducing cesarean deliveries.

U.S. News & World Report ranked Tampa General in the top five nationally for obstetrics and gynecology for 2025-26. Newsweek named it a Best Maternity Hospital in 2024. The Joint Commission awarded the hospital a Level IV designation in maternal care.

The Jennifer Leigh Muma Neonatal Intensive Care Unit operates as one of 12 regional Perinatal Intensive Care Centers in Florida, providing care for premature infants, sick newborns with complex conditions and women with high-risk pregnancies.