Certified midwives Archives

SILVER SPRING, Md. /ScoopCloud/ -- It's been a busy and productive legislative season for the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM). The organization is anticipating several wins across the country, but right now is thrilled that two bills in the Commonwealth of Virginia were signed by Governor Ralph Northam this month. It was through careful planning, tireless advocacy and coordinated teamwork that the Virginia ACNM Affiliate was able to make Virginia the eighth state in the country to recognize Certified Midwives (CMs) and the 28th state to allow Certified Nurse-Midwives (CNMs) to practice to the full extent of their education and clinical training and be regulated without physician control.

Virginia joins Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, and Rhode Island in recognizing the CM credential, increasing access to midwifery care, and potentially improving outcomes for women, babies, and all who need high-quality, individualized sexual and reproductive care.

"With maternal health care deserts throughout the Commonwealth, we need to address care in underserved areas with initiatives that remove barriers to practice unrelated to health and safety. Greater access to maternal healthcare is essential in reducing disparities in maternal and infant mortality and morbidity, and stark racial and class inequities in maternal healthcare access," says Virginia Affiliate President Katie Page, CNM, FACNM.

Page, along with the affiliate legislative committee chair, Nichole Wardlaw, CNM, FACNM, led a fantastic team, including Karen Kelly, CM; Mary Ellen Bouchard, CNM, MS, FACNM; and their lobbyist, Julianne Condrey, at breakneck speed through a very short session of the Virginia General Assembly.

The CM credential was developed in 1994 to expand access to midwifery through multiple educational pathways. The first CM was licensed in 1997. The CM pathway includes a graduate degree in midwifery from a program accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education (ACME) and board certification through the American Midwifery Certification Board (AMCB). CMs differ from CNMs only in that they are not also licensed as nurses. CMs and CNMs meet the same core competencies, sit for the same board exam, and have identical scopes of practice, including prescriptive privileges.

"We are thrilled to see Virginia supporting expanded access to midwifery care," says ACNM President Cathy Collins-Fulea, DNP, CNM, FACNM. "Ensuring midwives are represented at every table is key to mainstreaming midwifery in the United States. We look forward to continuing our work to improve care and reduce inequities in maternal healthcare.

The ACNM Department of Government Affairs and Advocacy has been working hard with dedicated, savvy volunteer affiliate leaders to make full practice authority a reality in all US states and territories. ACNM's vision of midwifery for every community is our guide in all policy making efforts. As Nichole Wardlaw stated about the successful Virginia efforts, "We can't keep doing things the same way and expect different outcomes." Bravo to the Virginia ACNM Affiliate for these two incredible wins for midwives and the people they serve.

About ACNM

With over 6,500 members, ACNM is the professional association that represents certified nurse-midwives (CNMs) and certified midwives (CMs) in the United States. ACNM promotes excellence in midwifery education, clinical practice, and research. With roots dating to 1929, our members are primary care providers for women throughout the lifespan, with a special emphasis on pregnancy, childbirth, and gynecologic and reproductive health. ACNM provides research, administers, and promotes continuing education programs, establishes education and clinical practice standards, and creates liaisons with state and federal agencies and members of Congress to increase the visibility and recognition of midwifery care.

Learn more at https://www.midwife.org/.

MEDIA CONTACT:
ACNM Membership & Communications
240.485.1813; membership@acnm.org

It's been a busy and productive legislative season for the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM). The organization is anticipating several wins across the country, but right now is thrilled that two bills in the Commonwealth of Virginia were signed by Gov

Related link: https://www.midwife.org/

SILVER SPRING, Md. /ScoopCloud/ -- Yesterday, the Senate reintroduced the Mothers and Offspring Mortality and Morbidity Awareness (MOMMA) Act, critical legislation that seeks to reduce the disparate maternal and infant morbidity and mortality rates, especially among Black and Brown birthing people and infants. The American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) strongly supports the MOMMA Act.

Spearheaded by Senators Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), the MOMMA Act would, among other initiatives, establish grant opportunities for entities with proven approaches to improving our nation's mortality rate by offering better maternal and postpartum health care.

Specifically, the MOMMA Act would invest federal funding in the Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health (AIM) program, a national partnership of organizations, including ACNM, with goals improving the culture of care to eliminate preventable maternal mortality and severe morbidity across the care continuum.

The American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) strongly supports the MOMMA Act and applauds Senators Durbin and Duckworth for their leadership and commitment to improving the culture of health for pregnant and postpartum people.

"All pregnant and birthing people and babies should be served by a maternity care system that delivers safe, equitable, ethical, and patient-centered care, the hallmarks of midwifery," stated ACNM President, Cathy Collins-Fulea, DNP, CNM, FACNM. "Midwives stand ready to work with policymakers and stakeholders to implement evidence-based solutions, including reducing primary cesarean sections and increasing access to midwives and midwifery-led care models, to help improve maternal health outcomes for all people and communities."

Every year across the United States, of the 4,000,000 people who give birth, about 700 suffer fatal complications during pregnancy, while giving birth, or during the postpartum period, and 70,000 suffer near-fatal, partum-related complications. These statistics disproportionately impact Black and Brown pregnant and birthing people. Through the implementation of a comprehensive set of policies to improve data collection, dissemination of information on effective interventions, and expansion of access to health care and social services for postpartum people, the MOMMA Act is another piece of critical legislation that if realized, can help address escalating rates of maternal mortality and morbidity disproportionately impacting these communities.

Contact Amy Kohl (akohl@acnm.org) ACNM Director, Advocacy & Government Affairs, for more information on the Mothers and Offspring Mortality and Morbidity Awareness (MOMMA) Act.

About ACNM

With over 6,500 members, ACNM is the professional association that represents certified nurse-midwives (CNMs) and certified midwives (CMs) in the United States. ACNM promotes excellence in midwifery education, clinical practice, and research. With roots dating to 1929, our members are primary care providers for women throughout the lifespan, with a special emphasis on pregnancy, childbirth, and gynecologic and reproductive health. ACNM provides research, administers, and promotes continuing education programs, establishes education and clinical practice standards, and creates liaisons with state and federal agencies and members of Congress to increase the visibility and recognition of midwifery care.

Learn more at https://www.midwife.org/.

CONTACT INFO:
ACNM Membership & Communications
240.485.1813; membership@acnm.org

Yesterday, the Senate reintroduced the Mothers and Offspring Mortality and Morbidity Awareness (MOMMA) Act, critical legislation that seeks to reduce the disparate maternal and infant morbidity and mortality rates, especially among Black and Brown birthing people and infants. The American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) strongly supports the MOMMA Act.

Related link: https://www.midwife.org/

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Tag Archives: Certified midwives

Virginia Passes Two Bills Increasing Access to Midwifery Care

Senate Reintroduces Legislation to Federally Invest in Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health (AIM) Program