State Advocacy Update

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We are more than halfway through 2022 and there have been so many monumental things that have happened to impact midwifery and the communities we serve in the advocacy and legislative spheres.

 

The volunteer leaders in the state affiliates are busy this summer even as many state legislatures are in recess and candidates are gearing up for election season.  In Alabama, affiliate leaders are grappling with new proposed birth center rules and efforts to achieve full practice authority as they also get ready to reopen the state’s only midwifery education program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.  In North Carolina, the SAVE Act hangs on by a thread after a historic Senate vote holding on to hopes of a House vote for full practice authority for all APRNs before the special session officially adjourns in December.  Massachusetts has been working hard to achieve reimbursement equity and while that effort has been stymied by the state house speaker’s office, they are strategizing on future efforts and gathering more stakeholder support.  The Massachusetts affiliate has been supported by the state’s midwives and the national office in grassroots efforts to keep the North Shore Birth Center in Beverly, MA open.  The Beverly Hospital administrators put their plans on hold after the community and public officials protested the proposed closure over the last few weeks.

 

As always, we stand ready to work together with affiliates on policy solutions that will improve access to midwifery care and strengthen the midwifery workforce.  Get out and support your local, state and federal candidates, as they will be making policy affecting you and your communities in 2023. Make sure you and your patients are registered and ready to vote!

 

Contact swertman@acnm.org or akohl@acnm.org to discuss improving your state’s practice environment and taking advocacy steps to reach our strategic goals to ensure midwifery for every community.