MONTHLY NEWSLETTER

Message from the President

Coming soon: CNMA Election!

Our CNMA Election is happening NEXT MONTH! That’s right, in just a few short weeks, our ballot will go out to all CNMA members and you’ll have the opportunity to vote for your next CNMA President. But first, we need some candidates! I’ve said this before, but I’m not afraid of saying it again. WE NEED YOU!

If you’ve ever thought about serving on the CNMA Board of Directors but were worried you might not have what it takes, believe me when I say you are good enough! Don’t believe me? When I was nominated to serve as President, I was a new graduate nurse-midwife, less than a year out of school. If I can do this, so can you. You don’t have to be perfect, you just have to be willing! We’re building mentorship into our leadership structure, and I promise we won’t let you fail. If you’re interested in serving as President-Elect, Secretary, Northern California Representative, or Central California Representative, email me at parisbury@gmail.com or text me at (805)415-2553.

Want to serve, but not yet ready for the Board of Directors? Join one of our committees! Put your tech skills to use as our Communications Committee Chair, help develop and rediversify the midwifery workforce by joining the Midwifery Workforce Development and Education Support Committee, grow our membership by joining the Membership Committee, or help plan the upcoming Annual Meeting by joining our Continuing Education Committee! There is so much work to do, and we make it fun (I promise).

Now’s your chance to pad your CV and make new friends. Join us! Read on for more details and don’t hesitate to reach out. I’m super friendly and almost always caffeinated!

With seemingly endless energy and enthusiasm,

Paris Maloof-Bury, CNM, IBCLC

President, California Nurse-Midwives Association

parisbury@gmail.com

California Prenatal Screening Portal

You may have recently received a letter from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) regarding the July 7th launch of the Prenatal Screening Results Portal. This communication explains that physicians (MDs and DOs) and midwives (LMs) licensed through the California Medical Board will have access to the new Portal, but CNMs, NPs, and other RNs can only access the portal if they have been made a delegate by an MD or DO with delegating authority.

Upon inquiry, we at CNMA have learned that the reason for this is that the BRN does not yet have the technology to interface with CDPH for RN license validation. We have been informed that the BRN is seeking to remedy this, and we anticipate that CNMs will have direct access to the portal at some point in the future. We will continue to follow up with the BRN about this issue, and in the meantime results mailers will continue to be sent to the ordering provider of each prenatal screening test. Stay tuned!

Support for Student and Aspiring Midwives

Join your fellow student- and aspiring-midwives on Facebook at CNMA’s NEW California Nurse-Midwifery Students Group! This group is meant to be a safe space for students in California to support each other, network, ask questions, and build community. In addition, we hope this group will help us learn more about the challenges students face in their search for preceptors in California. CNMA is dedicated to ramping up our support of our aspiring workforce and re-diversifying midwifery in California.

California Health Policy

SB 65 Momnibus (Skinner)

SB 65 passed the Assembly Health Committee and Assembly Human Services Committee! The final committee is Assembly Appropriations at the end of August. In addition to other perinatal policy changes, SB 65 creates the Midwifery Workforce Training Act to support midwifery programs that have a component of training designed for medically underserved multicultural communities, lower socioeconomic neighborhoods, or rural communities, and that are organized to prepare program graduates for service in those neighborhoods and communities, or that seek to recruit and retain racially and ethnically diverse students, underrepresented groups, or people from underserved or historically marginalized communities. For more on what you can do to support SB 65, please go to cnma.org/advocacy

2021-2022 State Budget

CNMA is pleased to report that many parts of SB 65 were included in the State Budget, including Doula coverage by Medi-Cal, extending Medi-Cal for 12 months postpartum, and a guaranteed income for low-income pregnant people. SB 65 will be amended to remove these sections when the Budget is signed by the Governor. An overview of the Budget Highlights can be found here. For more on the nation's first state-funded guaranteed income plan that commits $35 million for monthly unrestricted cash payments to qualifying expectant mothers and young adults who recently left foster care, see the LA Times article here.

For Immediate Release: Joint Statement on California State Budget and Momnibus Bill

California budget invests in pregnancy and birthing health; Momnibus bill can go further to address adverse birth outcomes in California

The final 2021-22 California budget includes significant investments in new parent and infant health, many of which were part of SB 65 (Skinner), California’s Momnibus bill. While the progress made in the budget is substantial, SB 65 is still needed, as it contains additional provisions to reduce negative birth outcomes in our state. All of these comprehensive services, in the budget and in SB 65, are needed to address the disproportionate health disparities facing Black and Indigenous new parents and babies in California.

We are excited that significant pieces of SB 65 are in the final budget. The following changes will be ground breaking for many families in California:

CNMA.ORG

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AUGUST 2021 | Newsletter

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