MORE BABIES BORN WITH CNMS THAN EVER BEFORE
· 11,064 births with CNMs in 1998 in Massachusetts alone
· 13.6% of all births, 17.3% of vaginal births
· CNM births occur mostly hospitals and birth centers
CNMS PRACTICE IN ALL SETTINGS
· 111 practices all around state as of 1999
· CNMs practice in approximately 2/3 of all hospitals with maternity services in the Commonwealth
· 3 birth centers run by midwives
· hospitals with midwives have lower caesarian sections rates, according to DPH study
Over 400 NURSE-MIDWIVES LICENSED
· practicing since 1977
· regulated by the Board of Registration in Nursing under the Nurse Practice Act
· legal to practice in any setting, including clinic, private office, hospital, birth center or home
· mandated third party reimbursement with HMO exception
· prescriptive authority since 1991, under Boards of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy and DPH
· law requires physician supervision
· this statutory supervision keeps CNMs from being credentialed as Independent Practitioners (IPs) under Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations (JCAHO) rules
· DPH has not had a single complaint about CNM prescription writing
OUTCOMES APPLAUDED
IN NATIONAL STUDY
· “Lower Mortality Rates for Infants Delivered by Certified Nurse-Midwives” - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) May 19, 1998
TWO TOP EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS FOR CNMS IN
MASSACHUSETTS
· Boston University School of Public Health offers midwifery as part of a Masters in Public Health
· Bay State Medical Center offers a certificate program
· 47 colleges and universities offer certificate and masters degree programs in nurse-midwifery in the USA
NEW CREDENTIAL - The Certified Midwife (CM)
· The American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) has decided that nursing is no longer a pre-requisite
· ACNM/ACC will now certify non-nurse graduates of approved schools
· skills are equal to CNMs
· same training plus pre-requisite courses to make up for “nursing” component
· same level of skill, knowledge, standards of practice
· SAME EXAM
· CM Credential is recognized in New York State and the program there is producing graduates
· no way for these qualified midwives to be licensed in Massachusetts under current law
For more information, contact Peggy Garland, CNM, MPH, Chair, Joint Legislative Committee 617 244-6164 (Peggy@urbanmidwife.org)