Contact: Elysse Barrett, 888-726-4276

PEORIA, Ill., April 5, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ -- Samaritan Ministries International announced on Monday plans to establish full-service, charitable maternity hospitals in major cities, with the first one operating by the end of 2012.

The Morning Center project was announced by Samaritan Ministries vice president James Lansberry. It will give expectant mothers in need of maternity care an alternative to government aid.

The hospital will provide a variety of resources for Christians to reach out to mothers in crisis.

-- Complete prenatal care, counseling, mentoring, and professional photography that celebrates the joy of new life will be provided.

-- A birthing center that offers mothers flexibility in making birth choices -- from providing facilities for water birth, and space for family, to highly trained staff and equipment needed for any medical situation.

-- Staff members will have a clear sense of God's calling to demonstrate the Good News of Jesus Christ in compassionate and practical ways as they care for each mother and baby.

"The need for such a facility is overdue," Lansberry said.

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, as of 2007 Medicaid paid for 41 percent of childbirths and maternity care nationwide. The Morning Center will rely exclusively on private donations and funding.

"It's time for Christians to take back beginning-of-life care for Jesus' glory," Lansberry said. "We want to step in and give women an option of maternity care that takes into account the image of God in both the mother and child. We want to offer an alternative to the second-class service most mothers currently receive through Medicaid.

"By lavishing the love of Christ through high-quality, personalized care, The Morning Centers will bring a new day in health care for pregnant women and their babies."

More details on The Morning Center, including how to support the effort, are available at www.morningcenter.org and on Facebook.

Samaritan Ministries is a health care sharing ministry and recognized 501(c)3 tax-exempt charity founded in 1994. It has members in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, several U.S. territories, and around the world. For more information about SMI, visit www.samaritanministries.org.

To schedule an interview with James Lansberry, call 888-726-4276 or send an e-mail to ebarrett(at)smchcn.net.