Congratulations to Amy Johnson-Grass – First CPM to Serve as President of the American Association of Birth Centers!
The membership of the American Association of Birth Centers (AABC) has elected Amy Johnson-Grass, ND, LM, LN, CPM, President-Elect of the AABC. Johnson-Grass is the first Certified Professional Midwife to serve as President of the Association. As incoming AABC President-Elect, Amy will serve one year with AABC President Lesley Rathbun, MSN, CNM, FNP and officially become President at the AABC 11th Annual Birth Institute in Anchorage, Alaska in 2017.
“I am thrilled to have Amy as our president-elect. She has been a tremendous addition to the Board already and I am looking forward to seeing how she continues the growth of all aspects of the organization,” said President Lesley Rathbun. “She is a strong and creative woman who runs both a successful business and practice. We are lucky to have such a well-rounded leader.”
A visionary committed to the work of building organizations, Amy says, “As an advocate for birth centers, I recognize the impact an organization can make through legislative efforts both on the state and national levels.” In fact, she has acted on this conviction to support the creation of the Minnesota Chapter of NACPM, currently serving as Chapter Vice-President.
Amy is the founder, owner & director of Health Foundations Family Health & Birth Center (HFBC) in St. Paul, Minnesota. She is adjunct faculty at Bastyr University and Birthwise Midwifery School and HFBC is a preceptor site for midwifery students. HFBC provides maternity services as well as a wide range of related services, including pediatrics, chiropractic care, naturopathic medicine, prenatal yoga and fitness classes, nutritional counseling, childbirth education, lactation support and more. Like many CPMs across the country, Amy works collaboratively with other providers to ensure that families have access to care that meets their needs.
One-half of all birth centers in the United States are owned by or employ CPMs. Mary Lawlor, Executive Director of NACPM and owner of the Monadnock Birth Center in Keene, NH, reports from the 2016 Birth Center Institute in Pittsburgh from September 22-25 that AABC is an important resource for midwives whether they already work in a birth center or are thinking about creating one. The annual conference provides opportunities for networking and education in both clinical and administrative tracks. “How to Start a Birth Center” workshops are held regularly around the country.
AABC has a long history of data collection and research evaluating the birth center model and care provided. In the landmark National Birth Center Study II, 20% of the women were cared for by CPMs, licensed midwives or teams that included CPMs and licensed midwives.
NACPM has worked alongside AABC in the national Coalition for Quality Maternity Care and supports the continuing efforts to ensure Medicaid payment for services provided by CPMs in birth centers. Tune in for the NACPM webinar on payment reform on October 27, 2016 which will include presentations on improving birth center payment at both the national and state level.
CPMs are also taking leading roles in the Commission for the Accreditation of Birth Centers, serving on the Board of Commissioners and as Site Visitors.
NACPM is also proud to support the National Association for Birth Centers and Clinics of Color, whose mission is to increase the number of maternity clinics and birth centers owned and/or operated by practitioners of color who are committed to serving communities of color. Founded in 2012 by a group of CPMs, the NABCCC is building on the successes achieved by each of its founders working with women of color – meaning that the women being served experience better health and better care through the deliverance of culturally-competent, evidence-based, comprehensive and cost-efficient midwifery and maternity-care home models. Watch for NACPM webinars in December 2016 that will feature Midwives Making a Difference!
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