Grassroots Network: CPM Issue Brief posted

Dear Friends,

The announcement below introduces a new authoritative document about the CPM credential and the organizations associated with it. Produced jointly by MANA, NARM, MEAC and NACPM, this will be an invaluable resource for everyone who is working on getting CPMs legal and accessible.

A copy of the Issue Brief: Certified Professional Midwives in the United States can be accessed here.

Do read the full announcement below!

Sincerely,
Susan Hodges, “Gatekeeper”

Announcement:


The North American Registry of Midwives, the Midwifery Education Accreditation Council, the National Association of Certified Professional Midwives, and the Midwives Alliance of North America are pleased to announce the release of An Issue Brief: Certified Professional Midwives in the United States. We have produced a concise and accurate document that provides the background necessary to understand the genesis of the CPM and its implementation as well as address issues related to the professionalization of direct-entry midwifery in the United States. The national organizations that collaborated in the writing of this document have played essential roles in the formation of the Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) credential and in the ongoing support for the development of the profession.

A new era in midwifery in the United States began in 1995 with the implementation of the CPM credential. Today these well-trained professionals serve more and more families. CPMs bring a deep understanding of normal birth, and the care that fosters normal birth, to the women they serve.

CPMs are a rapidly growing group of maternity care providers.
This document is an authoritative source in describing the education, qualifications and scope of practice of CPMs for the benefit of childbearing women and families, other maternity care professionals, as well as legislators, insurers, and policy makers. We believe it also timely to describe the unique contributions that CPMs are making to national discussions about how to educate the numbers of midwives who will be needed to meet the needs of women in the next decades. And, perhaps most essential, it is important to describe the contribution that CPMs are making to the health care system itself by offering maternity care that is high quality, cost-effective and safe in an era when the efficient use of healthcare personnel and resources has become paramount.

A copy of the Issue Brief: Certified Professional Midwives in the United States can be accessed here.

We hope that this Issue Brief will serve women as well as policy makers, and we invite inquiries. Responses, comments and questions sent to cpm.issue.brief@gmail.com will be shared with all authoring organizations.
For mothers and babies,


Ida Darragh, Board Chair
North American Registry of Midwives (NARM)

Jo Anne Myers-Ciecko, Executive Director
Midwifery Education Accreditation Council (MEAC)

Mary Lawlor, President
National Association of Certified Professional Midwives (NACPM)

Geradine Simkins, President
Midwives Alliance of North America (MANA)