Grassroots Network--CIMS Forum

From CfM President Susan Hodges posting to the Grassroots Network email list:

Calling All Maternity Care Activists!

Dear Friends,

We do not "advertise" every birth and midwifery-oriented conference on the Grassroots Network, but here is an opportunity especially for birth activists, in conjunction with the Forum and Annual Meeting of the Coalition for Improving Maternity Services (CIMS).

The message below, from the CIMS Grassroots Advocates Committee, is about an opportunity to get involved by participating in a training that will take place on the first day of the forum, Thursday, March 6, in Orlando. This is an exciting opportunity to get involved in real
grassroots, bottom-up, projects that will help pregnant women get the information they need about their local maternity care providers in order to make informed choices.

The 2008 CIMS Forum: Mother-Friendly Care By All, For All, will take place on Thursday, March 6 - Saturday, March 8 in Florida (near Orlando). Find complete information here.

Please feel free to forward this message!

Sincerely,
Susan Hodges, "gatekeeper"

Original message:

Calling All Maternity Care Activists! Enjoy a Family Vacation and Reinvigorate Your Birth Activism! You are invited to attend the "CIMS Grassroots Advocates Ambassador Training for The Birth Survey" and become a project ambassador at the CIMS Forum in Orlando, Florida.

Interested in gathering obstetric intervention rates for the hospitals and birth centers in your area? Become a GAC STATS Ambassador and work with us to collect obstetric intervention data at the facility level for all 50 states. The public has the right to know what is happening
in our hospitals. We will provide you with the support, tools and guidance you will need to connect with the right people in your state, access the data, and get the data out to the public.

Want to help spread the word in your community about The Birth Survey? A consumer feedback tool similar to "Angie's List" or "Consumer Reports," but for maternity care where women provide and view feedback on specific doctors, midwives, hospitals and birth centers in their local community. Join the GAC Marketing Ambassadors and help make The
Birth Survey a success in your area. We'll provide you with marketing tools and materials designed to engage the public and generate excitement.

If these activities are of interest to you, please come to the GAC Ambassador Training at the CIMS Forum. Thursday, March 6th from 9am-3pm in Orlando, Florida. Click here to register.

Scholarships: A limited number of need-based full registration scholarships are available for the forum and training. Apply online for a scholarship.

CIMS Forum: To learn more about CIMS, the 2008 Forum, and to register for the CIMS Forum and the included GAC Ambassador Training please visit CIMS online.

For more information on the GAC Ambassador Training and The Birth Survey visit The Birth Survey site.

Please pass this announcement along to other interested activists, listserves, etc. Thank you and we hope to see you at the CIMS 2008 GAC Ambassador Training- CIMS Grassroots Advocates Committee.