Congratulations to the Illinois Council for Certified Professional Midwives, our newest NACPM State Chapter! We’ve seen the ground breaking work that you’ve accomplished around midwifery legislation in Illinois, and we are excited to work alongside you to bring that work to fruition.
NACPM is working hard to generate high quality webinars for our members and the public. Chapter Collaboration Calls offer a space for deeper follow up discussion about how these issues relate to our unique state experiences. We urge you to join our upcoming webinar series on anti-racism and equity in midwifery, planned for December, and to join our follow up discussion on the December 15th Chapter Collaboration Call. If you are not already a Chapter member or leader of a Chapter in formation and would like to join these deeper discussions, contact Susan at chapters@nacpm.org to form a Chapter in your state now!
North Carolina and South Carolina Host Joint Chapter Event: Carolina Birth Junkies Summer Island Retreat
One of our goals with the NACPM Chapter Program is to create a nationwide network of CPMs who can learn from and support one another. Our North Carolina and South Carolina Chapters offer an exciting example of how this mutual support is already building. This summer, they came together to host a joint retreat, and the results were inspiring.
Christine Strothers of the North Carolina Association of CPMS and Lori Gibson of the South Carolina Chapter of NACPM came together to create a robust event on Sand Island in the Catawba River. Lori described this as a vision she and Christine had been cultivating for quite some time, and with the launch of the Carolina State Chapters, they saw an opportunity for joint fundraising in addition to offering “engaging, enticing, and relevant” continuing education: “With both Chapters in infancy and in need of funds, we naturally thought that we would donate any proceeds to the two State Chapters … for expenses related to making CPMs more accessible to families.” In the end, they raised enough for each Chapter to take home over $1,000 with a very simple marketing strategy using word of mouth, email, and a Facebook page created for the event.
Both Lori and Christine reflected that this retreat went beyond just meeting the needs of local midwives for CEUs and peer review. Over the course of the weekend they had nearly 40 midwives, midwifery students and doulas flowing in and around the island, some coming from as far as Georgia, Colorado, and New York. They experienced connection and camaraderie and saw just how much they have in common as midwives, even across state lines. In addition to the CEUs listed below, they did team building exercises and yoga; they shared meals and shared stories; they got to know one another.
Summer Island Retreat CEU’s:
*Newborn Transitions with Karen Strange, CPM, AAP/NRP
*When Survivors Give Birth, Elizabeth Johnson, MA
* Microbiome, Karen Strange, CPM, AAP/NRP
* Preeclampsia and Nutrition: separating Fact from Fiction, Adrienne Leeds, LM, CPM
* Charting for Midwives, Nancy Koerber, CPM
* Home to Hospital Transfer, Meredith Christie, CPM
* Viewed “The Dark Side of the Full Moon” followed by a round table discussion about post-partum depression
On Sunday afternoon, State Chapter meetings were held. The South Carolina Chapter focused their meeting on updates around legislation and regulations in SC, how to grow their membership, and fundraising ideas. The North Carolina Chapter discussed what NACPM represents and what the goals are on a national level, the new role of State Chapters and goals for NC around legislative efforts, education, professional development, and collaboration with other midwives, consumers, and the medical community including state-level MERA collaborations that they are modeling after USMERA, ideas for handling transport, and opportunities for student involvement.
Plans for next year’s retreat are already underway!
What about your State Chapter? How are you working to increase your membership and raise funds? How often does your Chapter meet, and where? Have you connected with another Chapter to offer mutual support? We’d love to hear what’s working for you and what you’re planning! Email Susan at chapters@nacpm.org