The CNMA Membership Committee is looking for a co-chair! If you are interested in helping to grow CNMA membership and support the development of local chapters, this is the committee for you! Please reach out to membership@cnma.org for more information.

Continuing Education Committee

The CNMA Continuing Education Committee is responsible for planning and hosting the CNMA Annual Meeting each year, and is now taking on the added responsibility of creating continuing education content that will be available through www.CNMA.org (coming soon!). Please consider joining this small and focused team. The work is targeted and specific, but there’s still plenty of room for creativity. Interested members, please contact jillcauley4@gmail.com.

Midwifery Workforce Development and Education Support Committee

This new committee will focus on building and diversifying the CNM workforce in California, including strategizing to increase the number of clinical placement sites and preceptors in California, establishing and maintaining two-way communication between midwifery programs that have student nurse-midwives in California and the CNMA Board of Directors, and fostering and supporting student mentoring programs. They will work alongside the Student Representatives to the CNMA Board of Directors. Ideal candidates include any of the following:

Lead and Chief Midwives from practices throughout the state
At least one representative from each midwifery program that has student midwives in California
Midwives who are passionate about supporting students and educators
Midwives who are passionate about mentoring
Midwives who are passionate about scaling up midwifery in California

Please contact parisbury@gmail.com for more information.

Join the CNMA Board of Directors!

The CNMA annual election is coming soon, but first we need some candidates! If you’re interested in joining our highly productive team (and bulking up your CV in the process), now’s the time to jump in! Thinking about running, but not sure you’ve got what it takes? We’re committed to mentoring new board members in their role and setting you up for success. The following offices are up for election this Summer: President-Elect, Secretary, Central California Representative, and Northern California Representative.

President-Elect (10/2021-10/2025)

During the first year (10/2021-10/2022), the President-Elect is mentored and supported by the current President as they learn the role and prepare to take on leadership of the board of directors (BOD) and the affiliate. Duties include:

Non-voting member of the BOD.
Attend virtual BOD meetings and other committee meetings throughout the month to learn about the structure and inside operations within the association.
Attend 2 in-person meetings annually that alternate between Northern and Southern California.

During the second and third years (10/2022-10/2024) the President’s duties include the following:

Be the face of CNMA. Be prepared to give interviews, help draft legislation and correspondence when needed, advocate for midwifery and birthing people, stay up to date on health policy issues within the association and the state.
Lead all BOD meetings (prepare the agenda, establish a quorum, get approval for the agenda, approve the minutes along with the secretary, make corrections, sign the minutes).
Voting member of the BOD.
Lead the CNMA Annual Meeting (present the awards, introduce speakers, recognize off going BOD members, and welcome incoming BOD members).
Write the CNMA newsletter.
Attend the ACNM Annual Meeting and represent CNMA during the California Affiliate Meeting and Regional Meeting.
Communicate with the ACNM National Office when necessary.

During the fourth year (10/2024-10/2025), the Past President's duties include the following:

Non-voting member of the BOD.
Offer support and guidance to the sitting President.
Serve as a source of continuity with other groups and organizations in California who have associations with ACNM and CNMA.
Ensure historical context for important issues impacting CNMA and the BOD.

Secretary (10/2021-10/2023)

Voting member of the BOD.
Send out the agenda to all the BOD members 10 days before the BOD Meeting.
Attend and take minutes during the BOD meeting.
Send minutes to the President and other BOD members for corrections.
Get signature on minutes once the corrections have been made.
Send out final minutes to BOD members.
Store minutes on Dropbox and keep Dropbox files organized.
Two year term, may serve up to two consecutive terms

Northern California Representative (10/2021-10/2023)

Voting member of the BOD.
Attend monthly virtual BOD meetings.
Develop relationships with the members of the region.
Establish two-way communication with regional chapter chairs and members to update them on affiliate issues; and bring chapters’ and members’ issues, comments, needs, and requests from regional members to the BOD.
Should attend their own chapter meetings.
Help lead and organize in-district visits and advocacy efforts.
Stay involved and participate in events in their region as a representative of CNMA.
Two year term, may serve up to two consecutive terms.

Central California Representative (10/2021-10/2023)

Voting member of the BOD.
Attend monthly virtual BOD meetings.
Develop relationships with the members of the region.
Establish two-way communication with regional chapter chairs and members to update them on affiliate issues; and bring chapters’ and members’ issues, comments, needs, and requests from regional members to the BOD.
Should attend their own chapter meetings.
Help lead and organize in-district visits and advocacy efforts.
Stay involved and participate in events in their region as a representative of CNMA.
Two year term, may serve up to two consecutive terms.

Nominating Committee Members (10/2021-10/2024)

Three positions are open: one from each region of the state (Northern California, Central California, and Southern California). This committee is mandated by ACNM Affiliate Bylaws, but we have not had this committee in place in prior years. Our goal is to fill the three positions and then determine specific duties with feedback from the Reproductive Justice and Antiracism Advisory Group.

Three positions are open (as described above).
The nominating committee members’ duties will be determined more specifically in the future, but broadly speaking, the members of the committee will help to run the CNMA elections in the future as stated in the ACNM Affiliate Bylaws: “Compose an annual ballot and prepare ballots and disseminate them to voting membership no later than 45 days prior to the date of the annual meeting.”
Members of the nominating committee may not run for any other elected office during their term.
Three year term, may serve up to two consecutive terms.

California Health Policy

State of Black Women Briefing

Join Black Women for Wellness Action Project on Wednesday, June 30 at 11:00 AM for a conversation about the state of Black women in California, and what we are doing about it. We'll also be joined by our partners at Courage Campaign. RSVP for the details! As California lifts its COVID-19 restrictions and the phrase "return to normalcy" gets tossed around, we want to take a pause and consider what aspects of "normal" we really want to return to. Some of California's pre-COVID baselines-- like the appallingly high Black maternal and infant mortality rates-- are unacceptable. BWWAP has been working on legislation as well as programmatic and narrative shifts to address this and other key issues, and we invite you to learn more and be a part of these efforts.

National Policy

Midwives for MOMS Act

ACNM encourages midwives and midwifery supporters to reach out to their House Representative and Senate members and urge support for the Midwives for Maximizing Optimal Maternity Services Act. This bipartisan/bicameral legislation seeks to increase access to high quality, evidence-based midwifery providers by creating federal grant funding opportunities for accredited midwifery education programs with the goal of diversifying our nation's midwifery workforce. Ask your legislators to co-sponsor the Midwives for MOMS Act TODAY!

Ask Your Legislators to Co-Sponsor the BABIES Act

The BABIES Act (H.R.337 / S.1716) was recently introduced in the 117th Congress. This bipartisan and bicameral bill seeks to promote accessible and affordable use of freestanding birth centers by Medicaid Beneficiaries. It would build off the Strong Start Initiative by creating a demonstration payment program under Medicaid. The legislation provides guidance to develop a prospective payment system (PPS) that would reimburse birth centers for prenatal care, perinatal, and postpartum mother and infant care. Now, we need your help to build momentum to advance this legislation. It's very important that your legislators hear from you. Ask your legislators to co-sponsor the BABIES Act today!

Education, Trainings, and Webinars

Pregnant in a Pandemic: Vaccines against COVID-19 (SARS-CoV2)

Join ACNM on June 17th from 4 PM- 5:30 PM PST as Carol Hayes, CNM, FACNM, and Danielle Maness, MSN, APRN, CNM, host a live webinar to discuss the latest on immunization practices. Including:

Describe the types, efficacy, and cold chain of approved vaccines
Discuss the implications of the Covid-19 vaccine on Women, Fetus and the Newborn
Outline the role of Active, Passive and Herd Immunity
Discuss the origin of the Covid-19 vaccines and how they contribute to immunity

1 CE/1 RxCE will be awarded. Registration is $24.99 for Members, $14.99 for Student Members, and $49.99 for Non-Members.

The Trauma-Informed Network of Care Roadmap: A guide for strengthening community relationships

Please join ACEs Aware on June 28, 2021 from noon - 1 PM for a special webinar highlighting the final release of the ACEs Aware Trauma-Informed Network of Care Roadmap. The Network of Care Roadmap provides practical steps that health care providers, clinics, community-based organizations, and social service agencies can take within their communities to grow cross-sector networks of care and improve collaboration and coordination across systems to prevent, treat, and heal toxic stress. This webinar will:

Discuss the purpose of the Network of Care Roadmap.
Provide guidance on the key elements supporting a robust trauma-informed network of care and to support the health and well-being of children, adults, and families.
Share actionable steps and milestones for providers and community-based organizations to grow cross-sector networks of care designed to address the health impacts of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and toxic stress.

Scholarships and Grants

AABCF Lisa Ross Memorial Scholarships

The AABC Foundation will be awarding at least 5 Lisa Ross Memorial Scholarships for the 2021 AABC Birth Institute which will be held in person in San Diego from October 7-10, 2021. Named in honor of Lisa Ross, a birth center midwife and early pioneer in the development of birth centers, the scholarship is open to birth center midwives, birth center administrators, and full-time students with a desire to work in a birth center. Learn more and apply by June 30 here.

Diversity and Inclusion Scholarships to attend AABC Birth Institute

AABC will be awarding at least 10 Diversity and Inclusion Scholarships for the 2021 AABC Birth Institute which will be held in person in San Diego from October 7-10, 2021. AABC recognizes the importance of diversity in birth center providers and the need for birth centers that provide culturally sensitive care to marginalized communities. Our goal is for AABC conferences and the member community to include, encourage, and recognize people of all races, ethnicities, genders, ages, abilities, religions, and sexual orientation. Learn more and apply by July 15 here.

HRSA’s 2021 Faculty Loan Repayment Program

The Faculty Loan Repayment Program (FLRP) supports the next generation of educators. You may receive up to $40,000 to repay qualifying educational loans for two years of service at an eligible health professions school. You must obtain all qualifying educational loans prior to the application deadline of July 1, 2021. To be eligible, you must come from a disadvantaged background, have an eligible health professions degree or certificate, and be a faculty member at an approved health professions school with a contract for two years or more. Apply here.

Job Opportunities

California Health Care Foundation

To support our vision for health equity for all Californians, CHCF has launched the CHCF Health Equity Fellowship Program. The mission of this two-year fellowship is to identify, develop, and support emerging Black, Indigenous, and People of Color leaders who have the capacity to become local and regional catalysts for health equity across California. For the pilot cohort, CHCF is hiring two fellows who live in California to work in one of the two project areas that are aligned with CHCF’s strategies for supporting health equity: Impact Investing and Homelessness & Health Care. We especially welcome candidates who have professional or lived experience in any of our regions of special focus — Central Valley, Inland Empire, and Los Angeles — and/or those with experience serving Californians via safety-net programs. Fellows will be full-time, fully benefited, exempt employees of CHCF. Over the two-year fellowship, they will be trained to assume the position of program officer and receive professional and leadership development support. The annual salary will be $120,000. Applications for the two-year fellowship are due June 28, 2021, at 5:00 PM (PT). Learn more about the fellowship program and apply

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.

Medi-Cal Rx Update

The Medi-Cal Rx Monthly Bulletin is now available! There you will find changes to the Medi-Cal RX Contract Drug List as of June 1, 2021 and more. As previously reported, the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) has delayed the planned Go-Live date for Medi-Cal Rx. Currently there is no set date for implementation. You can read the full Medi-Cal Rx status update 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!

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

Visit us at cnma.org

CNMA.ORG

California Nurse-Midwives Association June 2021 | Mid-Month Update

Table of Contents

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Membership Committee