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For Immediate Release
March 13, 2013
Contact: Clare Lynam
(240) 485-1826, [email protected]


Leading US Midwifery Organization Urges Federal Funding to Improve Maternity and Primary Care for Women

American
College of Nurse-Midwives CEO Educates House Members About Midwife-led Care, Ability
of Midwives to Meet Workforce Demands





Silver Spring, MD-American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) Chief
Executive Officer Lorrie Kline Kaplan, CAE represented the nation's more than
12,000 certified nurse-midwives (CNMs) and certified midwives (CMs) in testimony
today before the House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations of the
Subcommittee on Labor/Health and Human Services/Education and Related Agencies.
Kaplan's remarks focused on the role of midwifery in providing maternity care
and primary care for women, and 3 main areas of federal funding: Title VIII of
the Public Health Service Act, the National Health Service Corps, and the National Institute for Nursing Research.




With more than 4 million births
annually, maternity care represents nearly $100 billion of US health care
expenditures each year, Kaplan said. More than 40% of these births occur within
the Medicaid program.


"Midwives are more relevant than ever
in these times of primary and maternity care provider shortages, sobering
health disparities, and runaway costs," she said. "In nearly all other
developed countries, midwives are the primary providers of care for women in
pregnancy and birth. If we want to one day afford and achieve the first-rate,
high-value maternity care our daughters and granddaughters deserve-no matter
where they live, regardless of their race or ethnicity or economic status-we
need a larger, highly skilled midwifery workforce."


In 2009, midwives attended more than
320,000 births in the United States-about 96% in hospitals, according to the
Center for Disease Control. Midwives have a well-documented track record of
excellence, Kaplan said, achieving excellent birth outcomes with low cesarean
and medical intervention rates, which reduces health care costs. While midwives
are best known as maternity care providers, CNMs and CMs, who are highly
educated, are also primary care providers for women from adolescence through
menopause, she added. Midwives often serve women with limited access to health
services through Medicaid, the Indian Health Service, or federally qualified
health centers.


As the shortage of
maternity care providers continues to expand, as predicted by the American
College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and others, the ACNM CEO said funding
for several important nursing education programs under Title VIII of the Public
Health Service Act is vital to midwives meeting workforce demands. Kaplan said the Advanced Nursing Education
Program and the Advanced Education Nursing Traineeship administered by the
Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA ) are of particular
importance for midwifery. Funding for these programs helps establish new educational
programs, aids in the growth of existing programs, and provides tuition support
for nurse-midwifery students, she added.



"ACNM asks the committee
to urge HRSA to identify maternity care shortage areas as it does now for
primary care, mental health, and dental care," Kaplan said. "This will allow us
to directly address shortages, including developing new midwifery programs and
services in urban and rural maternity care shortage areas."


The CEO noted that a
robust National Health Service Corps (NHSC) is also vital to meeting the health
workforce demands of the future, as midwives are placed as primary care providers
in many areas of the nation through the NHSC. Kaplan urged the committee to strengthen
this program, enabling it to continue placing midwives in areas of critical
need.


Finally, because the National
Institute for Nursing Research (NINR) improves the health of Americans by
funding nursing research and research training, Kaplan asked the committee to
enhance NINR funding for fiscal year 2014 and to urge the NINR to focus
additional efforts on maternity-related research.


"More than 30% of [US] babies
are delivered by cesarean at twice the cost of a normal delivery, and experts
agree that half to two-thirds of these surgeries are unnecessary. We can-and we
must-do much better," she concluded. "A recent report estimates that cutting
the cesarean rate to 15% would save $5 billion a year. Let's focus more research now on how best to promote normal
healthy births in all families, in all communities."


###


About the American College of Nurse-Midwives


The American College of
Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) is the professional association that represents certified
nurse-midwives (CNMs) and certified midwives (CMs) in the United States. With
roots dating to 1929, ACNM sets the standard for excellence in midwifery
education and practice in the United States and strengthens the capacity of
midwives in developing countries. Our members are primary care providers for
women throughout the lifespan, with a special emphasis on pregnancy,
childbirth, and gynecologic and reproductive health. ACNM reviews research,
administers and promotes continuing education programs, and works with
organizations, state and federal agencies, and members of Congress to advance
the well-being of women and infants through the practice of midwifery.


For a complete copy of
Kaplan's testimony, please contact ACNM, 202-485-1826.





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Phone: 240.485.1800
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