The Institute for Medicaid Innovation (IMI) has launched a national learning series addressing the essential elements of midwifery business case development to provide services to Medicaid enrollees. The project utilizes an interactive virtual, salon-style format, bringing together Black, Indigenous, and other people of color (BIPOC) focused, Medicaid-serving midwives and midwifery practices with national experts in business development, Medicaid, and midwifery.
Read moreMaternity Care Deserts in the US
Nationwide, more than 400 maternity services closed between 2006 and 2020. Between March and June 2022 alone, 11 health systems announced they were closing their obstetric services, citing low birth volumes and staffing challenges. As birthing units close, obstetricians and nurse-midwives are more likely to leave the area, exacerbating “maternity care deserts.”
Read moreIn the Midst of the Black Maternal Health Crisis, Could Midwives Be the Answer?
NACPM Board Member Keisha Goode, PhD, whose research focuses on Black midwives, was interviewed for this article published on Cosmopolitan.com. Goode comments that Black midwives have a role to play in not only keeping Black birthing people alive but giving them the kind of births they deserve.
Read moreVirginia House Bill 1511 Midwifery; Administration of Medication Testimony - January 17th, 2023
Virginia is one of two states that license CPMs yet restrict them from accessing and administering medications that are within their scope of practice. These medications include : Pitocin, Cytotec, Rhogam, IV Fluids, lidocaine, epinephrine, Methergine, Oxygen, antibiotics, Vitamin K(for infants) erythromycin ophthalmic ointment (infant).
Read moreKentucky HB54 - An Act relating to Medicaid Coverage for LCPMs in Kentucky
On January 2, 2023, State Representative Russell Webber (R- Shepherdsville) and State Representative Nima Kulkarni (D- Louisville) filed HB 54 An Act relating to Medicaid coverage for certified professional midwifery services. Rep. Kulkarni has filed similar legislation the past two years. Rep. Webber carried the original 2019 bill to license Certified Professional Midwives in the House where it passed 96-1.
Read moreICM Board Elections 2023
The International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) is seeking new, competent candidates for its Regional Board Members to direct the vision, mission and strategy of ICM. The ICM Board comprises a President, Vice-President, and Treasurer and 6 Regional Board Members.
Read moreThe Institute for Medicaid Innovation and Every Mother Counts offer webinar Learning Series: Doula and Perinatal Community Health Workers in Medicaid Session
Session #1: High-Value, Equitable, & Evidence-Based Community-Based Perinatal Support - This session proved an overview of community-based perinatal support models, defines community based doulas and perinatal community health workers, and shares the evidence base for these models. The session provides information on the importance of community-based perinatal support in advancing birth equity.
Read moreSmooth Transitions: Enhancing Interprofessional Collaboration when Planned Community Births Transfer to Hospital Care
Smooth Transitions is an example of a successful midwifery-led collaborative QI program designed to enhance the patient and caregiver experience by improving the process of hospital transfers from planned community-based births. Multiple stakeholders in Washington state are taking steps to promote respectful and efficient transfers and are working collaboratively to improve and grow the program. Data collection on the program's impacts is improving and ongoing, with a goal of publishing these results. By addressing community-to-hospital transfers as a multisystem issue, replication of the Smooth Transitions QI Program across the nation could promote increased community midwifery integration, thus enhancing the transfer experience for all involved.
Read moreStatement from NARM regarding access to Neonatal Resuscitation Program Courses
Today the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM) announced the findings of their NRP survey. The survey was conducted in response to the challenges some CPMs have expressed trying to access NPR courses.While NARM acknowledges that difficulties do exist accessing NPR courses in some communicates, NARM maintains the importance of requiring the full NRP program (Online written exam and Skills testing) to uphold a standard of CPM skill outweighs the challenges individuals may face. NARM has committed to creating a Community-Based NRP Instructor Resource List that they will publish in the coming weeks.
Read moreNACPM welcomes Lauren French Hoy, CPM, LM, MSM , to the NACPM Board of Directors!
Lauren is the owner of madreluzLA midwifery practice, currently based in Los Angeles, California and previously located in Oaxaca, Mexico. Her training encompasses both traditional Oaxacan and professional midwifery taught in Spanish and a rigorous program at Bastyr University where she graduated with a Master of Science in Midwifery.
Read moreNational Midwifery Institute to host - Manifestations of Racism in Midwifery Education - A talk with Hakima Tafunzi Payne, MSN, RN
This session is a safe space for Black, Brown, and Indigenous midwifery students. The discussion will center around the phenomenon of racism as it occurs in both didactic and clinical learning (including apprenticeships) during midwifery education. Students will be offered opportunities to share their stories and experiences in order to process and begin to heal from the trauma associated with midwifery education for BIPOC candidates.
Read moreNACPM Welcomes New Board Member : Trish Ross, CPM
After a 25-year career in organizational development and training, Trish decided to pursue midwifery and did so, gaining the CPM credential in 2012, and then the Bridge certificate and Preceptor credential soon after.
Trish got involved with Midwives on Missions of Service (MOMS) in 2004 as a volunteer and became the Education Director in 2007.
Read moreNACPM Welcomes New Board Member : Tamara Trinidad, CPM
Tamara is a community partera/midwife, perinatal educator, and herbalist, born and raised in Puerto Rico. She is a mother of two children who were born at home with midwives and has been actively involved in birth work since 2012. She holds a Master of Science in Midwifery (MSM) with foundations in Botanical Medicine from Bastyr University and is a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM), credentialed by the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM), all completed in 2019.
Read moreJournal of Midwifery & Women’s Health (JMWH) CALL FOR MANUSCRIPTS: Contemporary Issues in Contraception and Abortion Care
The following manuscript types will be considered: Reviews, Innovations from the Field, Quality Improvement Reports, Clinical Rounds case reports, and Commentaries. Descriptions of the JMWH types of articles can be found in the Journal’s instructions for authors at www.jmwh.org. All manuscripts should include a discussion of access to care and health equity.
Read moreReport : Nowhere to Go: Maternity Care Deserts Across the U.S.
March of Dimes released its 2022 report, Nowhere to Go: Maternity Care Deserts Across the U.S., revealing access to maternity care is diminishing in places where it's needed most, impacting nearly seven million American women of childbearing age and roughly 500,000 babies. The data reinforces that the U.S. is still among the most dangerous developed nations for childbirth, especially in rural areas and communities of color.
Read moreNACPM Policy Impact: $900,000 in Scholarships to Be Awarded at Bastyr University!
NACPM is proud to share this example with you of how our policy work supports Certified Professional Midwifery and addresses the imperative of a racially representative midwifery workforce.
Read moreInvitation to Participate in Birth Worker Study to understand how community birth workers view and respond to racial disparities in maternal mortality, infant mortality, and maternal morbidity
The interview, which will take place over Zoom, will focus on a person’s pathway to becoming a birth worker; philosophy and model of care; health disparities; and the extent to which state and federal laws impact birthing centers.
Read moreGlobal Nursing & Midwifery Perspectives of Working During the COVID-19 Pandemic Research Study Invites CPMs to Participate
Certified Professional Midwives are being asked to take part in a research study conducted by NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing and led by Allison Squires, PhD, RN, FAAN investigating Global Nursing & Midwifery Perspectives of Working During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Read moreThe Uneven Burden of Maternal Mortality in the U.S. - An Infographic from NIHCM Foundation
The United States has the highest maternal mortality rate among high-income countries, and is the only one where maternal mortality is increasing. In 2020, the maternal mortality rate in the U.S. was 23.8 deaths per 100,000 live births, a 14% increase from the prior year, yet most pregnancy-related deaths are preventable. The rate among Black women is nearly three times that of White women. These racial disparities are linked to structural racism, underlying chronic conditions, disparities in access to health care and many of the social determinants of health.
Read moreImproving Birth Outcomes Among Women of Color Begins with Care that Reflects Them
Direct Relief has partnered with the National Association of Certified Professional Midwives to provide $50,000 in funding to support Black and Indigenous midwifery students in the United States. The funds will be used to assist with the cost of tuition, licensing, exam fees, and mentorship.
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