Midwives Essential During Emergency
Manmade and natural disasters can occur at any time, as evidenced by Sept. 11, 2001 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Maine should be prepared for weather, epidemic, and terror-related disasters. What if hospitals are overwhelmed by casualties, disease or infection? Many first responders are not prepared to deal with the special needs of pregnant women and infants. Where will women give birth during the next disaster?
FEMA strongly encourages each state to prepare an out-of-hospital scenario that works well under such conditions. During Katrina, babies birthed unassisted in the Superdome and on the third floor of Salvation Army Corp Community Centers opened our eyes to the need for a better plan.
The Trust for America's Health reports that Katrina overwhelmed the institutional facilities we often depend upon for health care. In addition, doctors and nurses were forced to perform without the technology upon which they heavily rely.
Women and infants are disproportionately and adversely affected by disasters. Maine women generally expect to give birth in hospitals; 99 percent of births occur there. But during an emergency, hospitals may not be immediately accessible. In the case of pandemic flu, hospitals may not be safe for pregnant women and infants.
Certified Professional Midwives are trained to work in homes and other out-of-hospital settings. Many midwives serve the Amish and Mennonite communities, and so are accustomed to working without electricity or other modern conveniences. Yet their statistics are as good or even better than those of doctors working in hospitals with the same risk population. In the event of a disaster, women could expect excellent birth outcomes by calling a midwife to their homes. In fact, CPMs were among the first responders when Katrina ravaged New Orleans. These midwives are astute in out-of-hospital births with limited technology. They are highly educated in the natural process of birth and in discerning the physiological needs of mother and newborn.
In February 2006, the National Working Group for Women and Infant Needs in Emergencies was formed to ensure that the health care needs of pregnant women, new mothers and infants are adequately met during and after disaster situations. Access to out-of-hospital maternity care by CPMs fits with this mission. The Women and Infants Service Package (WISP) document from the White Ribbon Alliance can be found here. www.whiteribbonalliance.org or click for a pdf file here.
The National Working Group is composed of representatives from the following groups:
• American Association of Birth Centers (AABC)
• American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM)
• American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG)
• Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP)
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• DC Rape Crisis Center
• George Washington University Dept. of Health Sciences & Global Health
• March of Dimes
• Midwives Alliance of North America (MANA)
• National Association of Certified Professional Midwives (NACPM)
• National Association of County & City Health Officials (NACCHO)
• Perinatal Programs at MIEMSS (Maryland Institute for Emergency Medicine
Services/Systems)
• Sacopee Rescue Inc.
• SaferMaternity.org
• Save the Children
• University of Maryland, School of Nursing
• White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood (WRA)
• Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children
Certified Professional Midwives should be part of Maine's disaster preparedness plan. The CPM is the only maternity care provider credential that requires experience in out-of-hospital settings. At present, there are approximately 1,400 CPMs in the United States. Experienced, 24 community-based certified professional midwives are scattered across the state of Maine. But because of our current laws, CPMs are not currently licensed in Maine. CPMs are licensed in 23 other states, and many already include them in their emergency disaster plan. We urge all Maine policy makers to ensure pregnant and birthing women and their newborns are safely cared for when the next disaster strikes.
Please call or write your representative today!
An Act To License Certified Professional Midwives To Promote Greater Public Safety and Access. (Presented by Representative SMITH of Monmouth)
23 other states have passed legislation to license CPMs and many others are currently working on similar legislation. New Hampshire and Vermont both license CPMs.
The number of CPMs in Maine have almost doubled in the past 10 years. There are currently 24 CPMs in Maine.
If you would like more info please contact Ellie Daniels at 207-322-6464 or Heidi Fillmore Patrick at (207) 647-5968
