State finds safety violations at Mesa birth center after baby dies

MESA, Arizona — Noelle Zmrzel went to the Willow Center for Birth and Wellness to deliver her son James on November 9, 2023. She was 42 weeks pregnant, according to Mesa fire department records obtained by 12News.

“We brought her in, and we were concerned,” Noelle’s husband, Dylan Zmrzel said. “We asked them about going to the hospital because she was in so much pain.”

The fire department’s report showed that Noelle labored for more than 30 hours before 911 received a call.

She was rushed by ambulance to Banner Desert Medical Center where doctors performed an emergency c-section.

By then, it was too late.

“About as bad as you can imagine,” Noelle said.

After losing their son, the Zmrzels filed a complaint against the midwives to the Arizona Department of Health Services.

ADHS regulates certified non-nurse midwives and licenses birth centers, including Willow. The department refused 12News’ repeated requests for interviews, but on Tuesday published its list of deficiencies against two of the midwives involved in Noelle’s care.

Among their citations, the department found the midwives “did not assess the fetal heart tones every 15 minutes following the rupture of the amniotic bag as required” by state code.

“There was like an hour gap in there where they weren’t coming in, and they’re showing heart rates in there, and it just clearly looks like something’s off on them too,” Dylan said.

For one of the midwives, the state also found that the midwife failed to establish an emergency care plan, did not complete proper screenings or urinalysis, and did not timely assess for vital signs including pulse and blood pressure.

The department did not confirm whether any investigations are ongoing.

“Our heart goes out to anyone who loses a baby. And the fact is, that there is risk involved in birth,” said Diane Ortega, the co-owner of the Willow Center in Mesa.

The I-Team previously interviewed Ortega about the center’s emergency transports.

“Even with the healthiest, low-risk mom, we can’t know every possibility of things that can go wrong,” Ortega said. “I stand by our team and the care that we give.”

A spokesperson for the Willow Center declined to comment specifically regarding the Zmrzel’s complaints, citing patient privacy laws. The Willow Center does plan to respond to the department’s findings.

ADHS also published a monetary penalty for one of the midwives. The penalty totaled $9,000 which is reduced to $200 if paid within 10 days.

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