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May 2021 | Mid-month Update
TABLE OF CONTENTS
National Policy
More Midwives are able to Practice Independently!
ACNM has updated their Quick Reference: Practice Environments for Certified Nurse-Midwives map! More states (including California) are turning green as legislation passes across the country removing barriers to maternity care for pregnant and birthing people, making it easier to access high quality midwifery care.
AABC Statement on Neonatal Mortality in Birth Centers
On May 7, the American Association of Birth Centers issued a Statement on Neonatal Mortality in Birth Centers in response to recent research presented at the 2021 American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Clinical and Scientific Meeting, reporting safety concerns for consumers receiving care at freestanding birth centers. The topic of neonatal mortality and birth site is not a new area of research and previous studies have been challenged by known methodologic flaws. AABC recommends that further research on this topic be conducted by interprofessional teams including both physicians and midwives, as experts in normal birth. This research will help families make informed decisions because they can understand the risks and benefits of community birth.
New Report: “Reversing the US Maternal Mortality Crisis”
A new report released by the Aspen Health Strategy Group (AHSG) calls for a prompt response to address the US maternal mortality crisis, which disproportionately affects Black women and other women of color. The report, titled “Reversing the US Maternal Mortality Crisis” advances “5 Big Ideas” to address maternal mortality, accompanied by four expert background papers that informed the group's decisions. The report recommends that the nation:
Make a national commitment to lower maternal mortality and morbidity rates
Build and support community care models, including midwifery-led care and freestanding birth centers
Redesign insurance around women’s needs
Tackle the racism that undermines women-centered maternity care
Invest in research, data, and analysis
Read more here.
Education, Trainings, and Webinars
Findings from the CHCF’s San Francisco Bay Area Regional Market Study
The California Health Care Foundation will share results from its report on the health care market in the San Francisco Bay Area during a webinar on Tuesday, May 18. What are the key factors affecting the healthcare market in the Bay Area? What are its unique challenges, how have community leaders addressed those challenges to date, and what are their future plans? In this briefing, hear from the report's lead author and four community leaders with a deep understanding of the San Francisco Bay Area healthcare market. They will address efforts to improve behavioral health care in the safety net, how the region’s high healthcare costs and competition among large systems prompt interest in population health management, and the expansion of Federally Qualified Health Centers. Register here.
Saving the lives of moms & babies: Addressing racism and socioeconomic influencers of health
This 10-part series will explore factors that affect maternal and infant health, as well as recommendations to address them. Come hear more about the impact of factors such as racism, intense heat, immigration status, incarceration, and paid leave, among others, on pregnant people and their infants. Speakers include Dr. Joia Crear-Perry and Sinsi Hernandez-Cancio. May 20, 2021 from 10:00 - 11:00 AM. Register here.
AWHONN’s Live FHM Strip Review Series, Read between the lines: Assessment of uterine activity, the other half of EFM
Join AWHONN on May 25, 2021 from 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM for their new Live FHM Strip Review Series. This session will describe fetal and maternal physiology during uterine contractions, discuss uterine activity assessment during labor, and distinguish between normal and abnormal uterine contraction patterns, including an interactive and collaborative review of fetal heart tracing monitor strips. Pricing: $25 for AWHONN members, $39 for non-members Register here.
COVID-19 Vaccine and Reproductive Health
Presented by AWHONN, this FREE town hall session will address the risk of COVID-19 in pregnancy and the importance of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine to help reduce severe illness and the negative consequences if exposed during pregnancy. Speakers and attendees will discuss COVID-19 vaccine side effects and safety of use during the reproductive life stages, including fertility, pregnancy, and lactation. Resources to reduce vaccine hesitancy will be provided. Live attendance is limited to the first 500 registrants. A recording will be available to all those who register. May 27, 2021 10:00 to 10:45 AM. Register here.
Scholarships and Grants
Free Book-Bundle for Recent Grads and New Midwives of Color!
The Midwives of Color Committee is offering fifty bundles of three books to midwives of color who have graduated from an ACME-accredited midwifery program in the last four years and are an active member of ACNM. The books are:
Questions for Ada by Ijeoma Umebinyuo (Kindle version)
Pushing: A Midwife's Journey to Triumph by Joyce Hyatt, PhD (Kindle version)
The Ultimate Survival Guide for New Midwives by Lizzie Kitue, CNM, MSN, WHNP-BC (printed version)
These books elevate midwives' knowledge and skills for supporting patients, giving medicine, self-love, ancestor connection, healing from trauma, processing pain, and much, much more. Applications are due by 9:00 PM PST on Thursday, May 20.
AWHONN Evidence-Based Practice Scholarships
AWHONN is currently accepting applications for members to earn scholarships to attend virtual evidence-based practice immersion programs. The cost of attendance for accepted scholars will be funded through Every Woman, Every Baby. Participants will be able to promote advanced skills of nursing and become interprofessional leaders in the use of an evidence-based practice model; develop leadership skills for facilitating completion of clinically relevant evidence-based practice initiatives; and foster creative thinking, networking, and issue resolution in the evidence-based practice process. Applications are due June 1, 2021, and awardees will be notified by Monday, June 28, 2021.
Please contact researchprograms@awhonn.org for more information.
Job Opportunities
Kaiser Permanente Sacramento/Roseville
Kaiser Permanente is hiring CNMs in Sacramento/Roseville! To learn more or to apply, click here. For more information, email Yvonne Vitale at Yvonne.V.Vitale@kp.org.
Job openings to share?
If you have a job opening, please post it at www.CNMA.org/jobs! We will happily share your listing in our newsletter and on social media.
Volunteer Opportunities
Join a Community Advisory Board!
Latinx researchers at the University of California, San Francisco are conducting a qualitative study examining Latinx attitudes, decision-making, and experiences with abortion in the US. Researchers are assembling a Community Advisory Board that will review and revise the interview guide for content and clarity of questions, and review transcripts from interviews to help identify and interpret emerging themes. Volunteers will be compensated for their time with gift cards ranging from $50 – 100. Ideal CAB members will be non-clinicians, identify as Latinx, Latina, Afro-Latina or Hispanic, speak both English and Spanish; feel comfortable discussing sexual and reproductive health (specifically abortion); and be able to commit to 3 hours (each CAB meeting will be approximately 90 minutes long and will meet twice over the next 9 months). To learn more, please email Josephine.urbina@ucsf.edu with your name, age and location.
Medi-Cal Rx Update
The changes to the Contract Drug List and Authorized Drug Manufacturer Labeler Codes have been updated. More information on Medi-Cal Rx is available here.
Midwife Crush Mondays!
Do you know an amazing Midwife who is doing revolutionary work? We want to feature them on our social media platforms!
CNMA is looking for submissions for our new social media series “Midwife Crush Monday” where we highlight the stories of trailblazing midwives across the industry who are making a difference in the midwifery profession. You can even submit yourself!
Here’s what we’re looking for:
Midwife’s name (include pronouns)
Affiliated organization(s)
Why you became a midwife (and anything awesome you’d like to brag about)
Headshot/Photo if available
Bonus: Please include social media handles for tagging!
Please send submissions to sm@cnma.org for consideration!
ACNM Annual Meeting
ACNM 66th Annual Meeting: Dismantling Racism in Midwifery
This year’s annual meeting’s theme is Dismantling Racism in Midwifery: Acknowledging the past and building a better future. This year’s meeting will feature such notable speakers as Shafia Monroe, Andrea Freeman, and Angela Davis. Registration for the virtual 2021 Annual Meeting includes access to education sessions, posters, the Exhibit Hall, networking events, the bookstore, and the six key live events: Opening Keynote Address with Fellowship Induction, Plenary Address, Dondero Lecture, ACNM Business Meeting, Awards Ceremony, and Closing Plenary Session. Attendees can access on-demand education in the virtual event platform during the meeting (May 23 – 25, 2021) and for 30 days after. For more information or to register, click here.
California Affiliate Meeting
The California Affiliate Meeting will take place June 2, 2021 from 12-2 PM PST. More information will be coming soon!
Submit a motion for the 2021 ACNM Business Meeting
The 2021 ACNM Business Meeting will take place at the virtual 66th Annual Meeting & Exhibition on Sunday, May 23, 1:30 PM – 3:30 PM. You must be registered for the Annual Meeting to attend. Members wishing to bring motions to the annual business meeting should complete the motion form by May 14th. Motions may be presented to ACNM membership for wider feedback before the official debate process takes place at the business meeting. In addition, each year we take a few moments during the business meeting to honor ACNM members, colleagues, and friends who have passed away during the preceding year. If there is anyone you'd like to be included in the 2021 In Memoriam, please submit their name, photo, and bio or obituary to membership@acnm.org by May 3rd, 2021
Questions? News? Want to get involved?
Email us at info@cnma.org
That's all for this month's issue. Catch you next time!
-CNMA MEDIA TEAM
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