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Message from the President
Dear Community,
It’s May, a month where so many people around the world celebrate mothers. We love moms! Many of us are moms! And as midwives, for many of us, taking care of mothers is literally what we do. But how do we as a society demonstrate our support for mothers? Well… Let’s just say it’s complicated.
For many people, the term Reproductive Justice means simply the right to have an abortion. But SisterSong defines Reproductive Justice as “the human right to maintain personal bodily autonomy, have children, not have children, and parent the children we have in safe and sustainable communities”. That means that the framework of Reproductive Justice includes the deep and abiding value of mothers and infants.
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2018, only 17% of mothers had access to paid family leave. This means that unless you have significant financial wealth (or your partner does), you’ve got to go back to work to pay the bills and put food on the table. And it bears out: 1 in 4 women in this country are forced to return to work within 2 weeks of giving birth. Those women are still bleeding, still have stitches that haven’t healed, and are still figuring out breastfeeding. And for every mother that is forced to return to work early, there’s a baby forced to separate early from their moms.
The United States remains the only wealthy country in the world without federally mandated paid family leave. While 89% of families do qualify for unpaid leave under FMLA, most folks simply can’t afford that. In California, we’ve been long-time leaders in reproductive rights – strong example: we were the first state (of still a small handful) to mandate paid family leave for some families.
Now here’s the kicker: The states with the most restrictive abortion laws are the same states with the poorest maternal and infant healthcare outcomes, and are the same states where women and birthing people are the most vulnerable and likely to have to return to work early. This means that the same folks standing up for abortion rights, for human rights, and for women’s rights have been fighting all along for maternal rights.
If you haven’t already engaged in your own education on the topic, I’d encourage you to read anything by Loretta Ross and learn more about Reproductive Justice. Then get radically engaged. It’s a great way to celebrate the month of May and honor the mothers in our care.
As always, I’m available by email at parisbury@gmail.com and by text at (805) 415-2553.
In the spirit of service and solidarity,
Paris Maloof-Bury, CNM, IBCLC
President, California Nurse-Midwives Association
Health Policy Updates
SB 667 (Dodd) - CNMA’s Midwifery Expansion and Sustainability bill
CNMA is Sponsoring SB 667 which successfully passed out of Senate Business and Professions committee on April 17 and passed the Senate Appropriations Committee on May 1. The next stop is the Senate floor! This is where we will absolutely need your help! Please check out www.CNMA.org/advocacy for updated information on what you can do TODAY.
AB 571 (Petrie-Norris) and SB 345 (Skinner)
CNMA is co-sponsoring two other bills, AB 571 and SB 345, both of which create specific protections for providers who give abortion care. Both bills are currently in the Appropriations Committees of their respective houses. Find out more about these bills here to find out what you can do to ensure these bills pass!
Midwifery Integration Webinar
Join a webinar hosted by CMQCC and facilitated by CNMA’s Health Policy Chair, Holly Smith, CNM, MPH, FACNM on May 9, 2023 on the topic of midwifery integration in California. Find out more and register here!
This webinar is number three in a five part series to highlight the updates to the Toolkit to Support Vaginal Birth. The previous two webinars can be found at CMQCC. Future webinars will include Midwifery Integration (May 9), Partnering with Doulas (August) and Improving Community Birth Transfer (October).
Client and Consumer Education Resources
Postpartum Support International: Online Support Meetings
What to expect: Groups are 90 minutes (1.5 hours) in length. The first ~30 minutes is providing information, education, and establishing group guidelines. The next ~60 minutes is “talk time,” in which group members share and talk with each other. Group members must be present for the group guidelines before joining in the discussion or “talk time.”
Review details about our 20+ different support groups, including support for Black moms, dads, military families, and Queer and Trans supoort groups. See Registration here. Explore resources in Spanish here.
SPECIAL EVENT- Birth Justice Solano 2023
Join Solano Commission For Women & Girls and Friends of The Commission for a FREE one-day Birth Justice event on Saturday, May 6, 2023 from 10AM-2:30PM PST at Solano Event Center, 601 Texas Street Fairfield, CA 94533. This event was designed to empower Solano County residents on their birthing journey. This event is open to all, and we welcome anyone who is interested in learning about the resources available to support you during pregnancy and postpartum. We've invited a range of speakers and facilitators who are experts in their fields, including doulas, midwives, and healthcare providers. You'll have the opportunity to connect with other parents and parents-to-be, share your own experiences, and learn from others. Please register here.
Research Opportunities
ACNM Survey: Congenital Heart Disease
ACNM is calling on all certified nurse-midwives and certified midwives to complete a survey regarding the care of patients with congenital heart disease. This survey was developed by a blended provider-patient advocacy workgroup led by Dr. Anitha John and the Adult Congenital Heart Disease program at Children’s National Hospital in Washington D.C. to assess the needs of providers caring for patients with CHD across the nation. Survey results will be used to identify priority areas for improvement in provider support. The estimated time for completion of the survey is 10-15 minutes. Your work and your experiences with patient care matter, and we look forward to seeing your perspectives!
IUD self-removal interview for BIPOC providers - Medicines360
Dr. Jennifer Amico, the Principal Investigator, is working with Medicines360 to conduct research about family planning providers perspectives about IUD self-removal. For this round of interviews, we will only be inviting participation from providers of color, giving priority to Black and Latinx providers. Because communities of color and particularly Black and Latinx communities are most impacted by inability to access IUD removal, it is particularly important to include perspectives from Black and Latinx providers.
Participation in this research involves completion of a 60 minute virtual interview, and after you will be eligible to receive a $100 gift card. This research has been approved by the Advarra Institutional Review Board and is being paid for by Medicines360.
To participate in the interview, please click here. If you have any questions, please email jennifer.amico@rutgers.edu.
Education, Trainings, and Webinars
CNMA 2023 Annual Meeting
Join us in Los Angeles for the 2023 CNMA Annual Meeting. Speakers this year include: King Yaa: Queer Reproductive Care, Dr. Anna Glezer: Perinatal Mood Disorders, Gabriela Grant: Care and Evaluation of the sex worker, and more to come! Our site will be updated as presenters confirm. 8 CEUs. August 26, 2023 at the Omni Hotel in Los Angeles. Get your tickets early. CNMA 2022 Annual Meeting Recording: If you weren't able to make the 2022 Annual Meeting in real time this year, here’s another opportunity to purchase tickets and catch up! Janelle Palacios spoke on the Arrive Trial. Ana Delgado spoke on Using Quality Improvement to Advance Equity. Rixa Freeze spoke on Breech Birth Maneuvers. Tanya Khemet Taiwo spoke on Environmental Factors affecting Fetal Development. Paris Maloof-Bury spoke on the Marginalization of Black Midwives in America. 8 CEUs. Register here.
ACNM 2023 Annual Meeting
ACNM is delighted to formally invite you to the 68th Annual Meeting & Exhibition, which will be held at the Caribe Royale Orlando in sunny Orlando, Florida. Join us to reconnect with colleagues, build new relationships, and address pressing challenges and opportunities in a candid, interactive format. PRE-CONFERENCE: MAY 5-6, 2023. MAIN EVENT: MAY 7-9, 2023. The ACNM Annual Meeting & Exhibition brings together the largest concentration of certified nurse-midwives (CNMs) and certified midwives (CMs) in the nation, along with other women’s health practitioners, allied health professionals, researchers, faculty, community leaders, policymakers, and midwifery students in support of common goals to advance women’s health and the practice of midwifery. It’s not too late to Register!
ACNM Annual Business Meeting
The ACNM Business Meeting will be held virtually on Tuesday, May 16, 2023 from 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm Eastern. Business meetings are open to all members, although voting privileges are not extended to Associate or Student members. Associate and Student members are open to discuss and debate any motion that is presented, but may not cast an official vote in any elections.
Please complete this form if you would like to make a motion. All motions are due by May 8th at Midnight ET. Please note: when making a motion, your motion has to be seconded by another member. For questions, please reach out to membership@acnm.org. Register here.
* To register and access the Annual Business Meeting, you must have an account within our Learning Center. If this is the first time you are logging in, please use these member codes when creating your account:
Active Members: mem2023
Student Members: studmem2023
ACNM First Assist Workshops
ACNM has a full schedule of The Midwife as Surgical First Assistant (First Assist) Virtual Clinical Labs available in 2023! First Assist focuses on training midwives to participate and provide continuity of care for patients during a cesarean section.
The First Assist Virtual Clinical Labs fill up fast, so be sure to Register for the date you need NOW!
Tuesday, June 20 (10:00 AM EST) - Registration deadline is Monday, June 5, 2023.
Tuesday, July 25 (10:00 AM EST) - Registration deadline is Monday, July 10, 2023.
Tuesday, Aug. 22 (10:00 AM EST) - Registration deadline is Monday, Aug. 7, 2023.
AWHONN 2023 Convention
The 2023 AWHONN Convention, taking place June 17-21, 2023 in New Orleans, will be a transformative event that will help you to develop and hone your leadership skills, empower your team to adopt and adapt new standards in care, reevaluate and inspire change to historically challenging workplace cultures, and understand how playing a part in nursing and patient advocacy can increase delivery of quality patient care while improving the nursing environment. *Members experiencing financial hardship and members of underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply for a convention scholarship.
ANA: “Spirituality and Nursing, WHO Cares?”
Save The Date: May 10, 2023 from 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Topics of Discussion:
Increase awareness of spirituality as a holistic approach to nursing.
Define spirituality as it relates to the patient and the nurse.
Explore nurse spiritual self-care as it relates to reducing workplace stress and burnout.
Through storytelling and creating a safe space for sharing, attendees will leave this presentation with more clarity, a greater connection to self, and a renewed sense of joy. Click here to RSVP.
2023 Legal and Ethical Dilemmas in Perinatal Mental Health Conference: Reproductive Justice
Maternal Mental Health NOW is hosting a 6-hour continuing education training on Friday, May 12, 2023, 8am-4pm. The training will dive into the legal and ethical dilemmas related to reproductive justice and maternal mental health, including clinical documentation and legal mandates, incarceration, and the overturn of Roe vs. Wade. Continuing Education (CE) units for mental health professionals and nurses are available. You can participate in one of three ways: in-person (Los Angeles), live stream, or recorded access. More info here!
ACEs Aware "Implementation with Intention" Webinar #5: Prepare Your Team and Clinic Operations
Thursday, May 25, 2023 from 12-1 p.m. Participants will learn how to prepare their teams and operations, and discuss promising practices and lessons for ACE screening implementation from clinics in the field engaged in this work. The webinar has been approved for:
AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™, ASWB, ABP-MOC, ABIM-MOC II credit.
You will receive a Zoom link after submitting your registration form. Please register here.
TEACH Northern California- Reproductive Health and Justice in Primary Care Conference
Save The Date: Saturday, June 24, 2023 from 9 am - 4:30 pm in San Francisco (Details to follow registration by email)
Morning Topics (tentative)
Care across the Gender Spectrum
Reproductive Care for Incarcerated Individuals
Perspectives on Self-Managed Abortion
Justice and abortion funds
Afternoon Workshops
Medication Abortion (clinical issues, telemedicine, regimen updates, FQHC implementation)
Advocacy / Resolution Writing
Registration is now open! A virtual option will be opening in May.
To view previously listed educational opportunities, please visit our website at https://www.cnma.org/courses.
Volunteer Opportunities
Get involved in CNMA!
We are currently seeking enthusiastic members to join either the Educational committee or our newly formed Fundraising committee.
The educational committee is responsible for developing and implementing educational programs and resources for our members. As a part of this committee, you will have a chance to help shape the educational offerings of our association and to ensure our members have access to the latest evidence-based practices in midwifery.
Alternatively, our fundraising committee will play a crucial role in supporting the financial sustainability of our association. This committee will be responsible for planning and executing fundraising initiatives and exploring new fundraising opportunities. Your involvement in this committee will directly contribute to the financial resources needed to support our educational programs, advocacy efforts, and member services.
This is a great opportunity to be actively involved and make a difference in our profession!
If you are interested in joining either committee, please click here and add your name to the list. And if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us at membership@CNMA.org.
Share Your Ideas with AMCB
Traditionally, AMCB has held a strategic planning meeting where representatives of midwifery stakeholders were invited to share their ideas and input. Our concern is that by doing this, we were limiting ourselves to only the ideas of the people in attendance.
AMCB is committed to the continued progress and involvement of ALL of our certificants. We believe that innovation is critical not only to the development of our organization but also to the effectiveness of our staff.
We encourage you to provide us with your ideas. Those ideas can be directly related to AMCB policies/operations, continuing education, certification, or the overall midwifery industry.
Please submit your written ideas to cbright@amcbmidwife.org. We look forward to hearing from you.
Scholarships, Grants, Funding, and Awards
MILCC Emerging Leaders in Lactation Scholarship
MILCC is pleased to announce that applications are open for the second class of the Emerging Leaders in Lactation (ELL) Scholarship! As a result of a generous donation from the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners® (IBLCE®), the global leader in lactation credentialing, as well as some generous private donations, MILCC is pleased to administer this scholarship program focused on diversity within the profession.
Selected Emerging Leaders are eligible to receive $5,000 USD each in financial aid, as determined by the MILCC Board, for costs associated with IBCLC certification, disbursed over two years contingent upon progress pursuant to their defined plan. The deadline to apply is May 26, 2023! Register here.
AABC Expands D+I Scholarship Program
AABC is expanding its Diversity + Inclusion Scholarship program to include more education programs (in-person and online). AABC understands the importance of increasing access to birth center care for all families and increasing access to education for all providers. Racial health disparities in perinatal care are devastating many communities. We know it’s our responsibility to address this failure of the US healthcare system and the history of the birth center movement which has too often centered white, affluent, straight women. We offer Diversity + Inclusion Scholarships to Members of the Global Majority*, LGBTQIA+ folks, and people with disabilities.
AABC seeks to expand access and lower barriers to entry through these scholarships for the annual AABC Birth Institute, How to Start a Birth Center Workshops (in-person and online), and Community Birth Assistant Training. Learn more and apply here. Deadline to Apply: July 17, 2023.
HCAI Updates
The Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI) administers programs that improve access to health care in underserved areas of California. The programs support students and graduates with scholarships and/or loan repayment, and educational training programs that show a commitment to increasing the number of healthcare providers serving the underserved. HCAI also acts as the State’s Primary Care Office (PCO), State Office of Rural Health (SORH), and liaison to the Health Services and Resources Administration (HRSA). Important Dates:
May 1, 2023 - Loan Repayment Program Application Cycles Open:
Bachelor of Science Nursing Loan Repayment Program
Licensed Vocational Nursing Loan Repayment Program
Licensed Mental Health Services Provider Education Loan Repayment
Steven M. Thompson Loan Repayment Program
May 15, 2023 - Behavioral Health Scholarship Application Opens
May 15, 2023 - Golden State Social Opportunities Scholarship Application Opens
May 31, 2023 - Webinar: Behavioral Health Scholarship Program
May 31, 2023 - Webinar: Golden State Social Opportunities Scholarship Program
For more information about scholarships and grants, click here.
Job Opportunities
To view previously listed educational opportunities, please visit our website at https://www.cnma.org/jobs.
Medi-Cal Rx
Sign up for the Medi-Cal Rx Subscription Service to be notified when new information is posted!
See additional updates below:
1. Changes to the Contract Drugs List (CDL) 2. Changes to the Contract Drugs List (Over-the-Counter Drugs) 3. Changes to the Family PACT Pharmacy Formulary 4. Updates to the Medi-Cal Rx Provider Manual 5. 30-Day Countdown – Phase III, Lift 2: Retirement of the Transition Policy for Beneficiaries 22 Years of Age and Older 6. Medication Abortion: Coverage of Misoprostol-Only Regimen 7. Extended Duration Prior Authorizations for Maintenance Medications 8. Mpox Vaccine: No Longer a Family PACT Pharmacy Benefit 9. Mpox Vaccine: Change in Reimbursement Rate 10. Updated: Patient Counseling Signature Requirements in Provider Manual 11. Prior Authorization Submission in Advance of the Retirement of the Transition Policy – Processing Issue Resolved
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!