Trail-Blazing for Midwives: An Unexpected Encounter

by Michelle Grandy, CNM, MN, President, Washington ACNM State Affiliate

Pictured in center: Michelle Grandy, CNM, and Congressman Jay Inslee

You never know where opportunities will arise to support midwifery. My most recent unexpected opportunity happened as I was backpacking with my daughter in the great outdoors of Washington State.

We heard a few men down the trail talking about taking a group photo. One voice was particularly boisterous in the otherwise quiet wilderness. As we rounded the corner, the group said, "Great! Here is someone who may be willing to take our photo."

I replied, "For you, I could do that."

After snapping their photo with a magnificent mountain range in the background, one of the men made a comment about "My chief of staff…"

"What do you do?"

"Well, I'm a congressman,” he answered.

"What is your name?"

"I'm Jay Inslee."

I jumped into gear and began talking about our recent ACNM Annual Meeting in Washington, DC, and how we'd missed talking with him personally but met Megan, his health legislative assistant. I asked if he'd heard of the MOMS 21 bill. He stated that he had not. I kicked it up a notch and began discussing the bill, using personal references to my practice at the University of Washington. I mentioned that one component of the bill would support certified nurse-midwives (CNMs) billing while supervising residents in medical schools.

A week later, I sent a follow-up e-mail that included a photo and a copy of the MOMS 21 bill to Congressman Inslee and Megan. Shortly after, I was notified that he signed as a cosponsor for the bill!

Interested in learning more about MOMS 21? Visit the ACNM website or contact Kathryn Kravetz Carr at kkccnm@gmail.com.

August is Midwifery Advocacy Month: Ten easy and energizing steps to make a difference!

Kathryn Kravetz Carr, CNM, Chair, ACNM GAC

1. Get educated about MOMS 21. Learn how Maximizing Optimal Maternity Services for the 21st Century (MOMS21, HR 5807) will improve maternity outcomes, increase access to care, and curb rising health care costs. Also be sure to visit the new ACNM MOMS 21 Web page.
   
   
2. Check if your representative is a cosponsor (search here to find out). We ALREADY have the support of 30 US Representatives! If yours is a cosponsor, thank them for their support.
   
   
3. Call your US Representative and Senators in their DC office. Find out who your legislators are here, and ask them to cosponsor MOMs 21. Use these talking points as a guide.
   
   
4. Email or fax a letter (view samples here) to your Representative’s and Senators’ Health Legislative Aide in the DC office. Attach the Dear Colleague Letter and the bill info sheet.
   
   
5. Spice it up. Consider including some of these supporting documents: Essential Facts about Midwives, Nurse-Midwifery in 2008, Primary Care Providers, and Evidence-based Maternity Care.
   
   
6. Meet your legislators in their local offices or invite them to your practice. Congress will recess August 9 through September 12. To find their local offices click “contact” at this link. Request a visit using this Senate letter or this Representative letter.
   
   
7. Capture your visit with a photograph. Have your fellow midwives sign the photo, and return it as a thank you gift. Submit the lobby day evaluation form to let us know how it went.
   
   
8. Don’t sweat the details. When you talk with your legislators, their health care staff, and the media, discuss the women you serve and obstacles to better care. Should they have questions regarding the legislation, they can contact ACNM Federal Lobbyist Patrick Cooney at 202-347-0034 or patrick@federalgrp.com.
   
   
9. Involve the Media. Send the MOMS 21 Press Release out, and call your local media. ACNM members, don’t forget to let the Ambassador Toolkit help you out. Let midwives in your community know you reached out, and see if others have personal contacts in the media.
   
   
10. Keep the relationship going! Once you have established a connection with the Health Legislative Aide, maintain it throughout the year with continued communication. Successful advocacy is all about the relationship!
    

At Last, Life after Medicare: MOMS for the 21st Century

by Kathryn Kravetz Carr, CNM, Chair ACNM Government Affairs Committee

At last Medicare reimbursement equity for nurse-midwives will begin in January. As I start my first year as chair of ACNM’s Government Affairs Committee, we are riding high on the glory that comes from decades of hard work. Now we are blessed with the opportunity to work on something new, at last, something new!

Maximizing Optimal Maternity Services (MOMS) for the 21st Century, known as MOMS21, stole the show this year in DC. This magnificent piece of legislation will support improved maternity outcomes, help decrease maternity care costs, and place midwives at the center of the solution. It should come as no surprise that we have one of our very own, certified nurse-midwife Deb Jessup and Legislative Assistant to Representative Lucille Roybal-Allard to thank for drafting this tour de force. MOMS21 has been introduced in the House of Representatives (H.R. 5807) and a Senate companion bill is expected to follow.

Despite higher childbirth costs in the United States than other industrialized countries, we rank far behind on perinatal outcomes, with striking disparities in communities of color. Procedure-rich hospital stays during a woman’s pregnancy and delivery in the United States render hospital maternity care as Medicaid’s most costly expense.

MOMS21 will allow us, and those who value our work, to pressure Congress to support best maternity practices and the education of a more diverse maternity care workforce. Bill provisions include the promotion of optimal maternity care, a national media campaign, expansion and dissemination of best maternity care data, and core maternity care curricula, more loan repayment and funding for minority recruitment and retention as well as establishing reimbursement for midwives who supervise medical residents, medical students, and student midwives.

Government Affairs Committee (GAC) members will be calling on all midwives and our supporters to contact their legislators and ask them to cosponsor MOMS21. As midwives, we are well positioned and well prepared to be at the forefront of maternity care solutions.

Need more details on MOMS for the 21st Century Act of 2010? Read the ACNM press release and the bill summary.