Region VI has been busy supporting ACNM’s work to address racism in our profession, organization, and health care system and ultimately support BIPOC students and midwives. The work that has been achieved or is in progress is just a start, and we have a long way to go to become an anti-racist organization and profession. The Region VI affiliates have focused on several initiatives including scholarship development, creation of affiliate diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) committees, and midwife education. We would like to highlight a few successes that our region has achieved.
Region VI created a committee approximately two years ago to provide continuing education webinars for ACNM members in our region. The committee consists of midwives from each affiliate in the region, with sponsorship of the webinars by designated Region VI affiliates. The education events have focused on a variety of topics and most recently have prioritized DEIB education. The most recent speaker was Dr. Cerise Hunt, who discussed “Health Equity in Midwifery Practice: Translating theory to practice.”
The Arizona Affiliate recently created an annual scholarship for an indigenous student CNM/CM, named after Ursula Knoki-Wilson, CNM, one of the first Navajo CNMs. Ursula is a graduate of the University of Utah nurse-midwifery program and is currently working as a consultant and community liaison for the Indian Health Service and the Navajo Tribal Council. The awardee may use the money for tuition, fees, living expenses, transportation, or anything else that would facilitate them becoming certified or licensed in Arizona. The affiliate plans to award the first scholarship in 2021!
Congrats to the Region VI affiliates on the great work! Keep pushing.
Region VI Representative