Sunday, October 18, 2015

Changemakers Unite! How To Build Lasting, Effective Midwifery Coalitions: A Resource List

Citizens for Midwifery is presenting at the 2015 Midwives Alliance of North America (MANA) Conference: Shine! Plenaries Jeanette McCulloch and Nasima Pfaffl will present Changemakers Unite! How To Build Lasting, Effective Midwifery Coalitions: What Works and What Doesn't. We know you won't all be able to join us, so we wanted to share our resources with you!

  Citizens for Midwifery (CfM)

  • Letters of support to committee chairs or other relevant governmental bodies​
  • Facts and information
  • Fact Sheets
  • Reviews: books, video, etc.
Keys to the Art of Persuasion


The Big Push for Midwives

  • Handouts and one-pagers, customized to the needs of the state. ​
  • Evidence backup in the form of articles and studies​
  • Advice on strategy​ and testimony

 

U.S. Midwifery: Education, Regulation, Association (US MERA)

Statement on the Licensure of Certified Professional Midwives (CPM)
2015 Annual Meeting Report

Additionally, US MERA Legislative Committee is developing a consensus statement outlining principles for model midwifery legislation and regulation using the Delphi research process. The consensus statement will serve as a complementary document to the statement on legislative language.


North American Registry of Midwives (NARM)

  • Acts as advisors​
  • Reviews proposed bills​
  • Travels to states to help lobby if asked.
  • Helps craft handouts and FAQs for use with legislators (NARM has several general handouts, but many are crafted based on the current issues/needs in a specific state.)
  • Offers a Legislative Workshop ​
Statement of State Licensure of Certified Professional Midwives
Legislative Handbook
Resources and Handouts 


National Association of Certified Professional Midwives (NACPM)

  • Principle support provided through regional NACPM chapters​
  • Available as a speaker at midwifery associations and other meetings ​
  • Customized support for chapters working on regulatory issues​
  • Chapter Collaboration Calls where legislative issues can be discussed
  • State Legislation and Policy webinar series
  • Provide support for CPMs in states when federal action affects regulatory issues on the state level (For example, in collaboration with ACNM, NACPM reached out to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS), asking for more specific and helpful guidance from CMS to the states about implementation of the birth center provisions in the Affordable Care Act.​) 
  • An Overview of State Licensure for CPMs​
US MERA: What Could It Mean for CPMs (recording)
US MERA: How to Put it to Use for CPMs ​
MAMA Campaign: A New Foundation for Federal Recognition of CPMs​
New Legislative Hotline


American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM)

  • Support and contact with state affiliates where bills are being introduced to provide guidance and advice on implementing US MERA language/agreements​
  • Help with conceptualization of bills and drafting language​
  • Assistance and advice regarding state-level lobbyists​
  • Strategy and guidance​
  • Data gathering and evidence support​
  • System to track information on bills and regulatory changes (last year tracked over 2000 bills and regulatory changes)​
  • System to have supporters contact state or federal legislators, which also allows for forwarding of emails and tracking

Monday, September 21, 2015

New Research on Planned Home VBAC in the US- Two Part Interview with Author Melissa Cheyney, PhD, CPM, LDM

The MANA Blog and the Science and Sensibility Blog  have a two part post on important new  VBAC research.  It provides a much-needed analysis of VBACs in the home setting in the United States; an analysis that has been unavailable up to this point. 

"Planned Home VBAC in the United States, 2004–2009: Outcomes, Maternity Care Practices, and Implications for Shared Decision Making" by Kim J. Cox PhD, CNM Assistant Professor, Marit L. Bovbjerg PhD Research Associate & Instructor of Epidemiology, Melissa Cheyney PhD, CPM, LDM Associate Professor, and Lawrence M. Leeman MD, MPH Professor came out on 8/26/15 as an online article ahead of the print issue in the journal Birth: Issues in Perinatal Care.

Jeanette McCulloch of BirthSwell interviewed Melissa Cheyney, PhD, CPM, LDM, one of the paper’s authors. The first part of the interview is available in a guest blog at Science and Sensibility. In that post, Melissa shares the findings and her recommendations for parents and policy makers. In the MANA Blog Missy shares advice specific to midwives, based on the study’s findings. 

Both blog posts are full of important considerations and details that are helpful to fully understanding the new findings presented in this new research. I particularly appreciate the emphasis placed on informed consent and informed decision making in relation to the data.