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Message from the President
Dear Community,
Welcome to Black Maternal Health Week! I’ll keep this month’s message short, but just want to highlight the myriad opportunities to celebrate and support Black health and joy. I hope to see you in person or virtually at these events, as well as at our upcoming abortion training and Reproductive Freedom Week! So much good…
As always, I’m available by email at parisbury@gmail.com and by text at (805) 415-2553.
In the spirit of service and solidarity,
Paris Maloof-Bury, CNM, IBCLC
President, California Nurse-Midwives Association
Black Maternal Health Week 2023 #BMHW23
“Our Bodies Belong to Us: Restoring Black Autonomy and Joy!” BMHW is a week-long campaign, April 11- 17, founded and led by the Black Mamas Matter Alliance (BMMA) to build awareness, activism, and community-building to amplify the voices, perspectives and lived experiences of Black Mamas and birthing people. BMMA continues to highlight and center culturally-congruent practices with a focus on Black Midwifery care and full-spectrum Black-led Doula care as sound, evidence-based solutions. Listen in to the BMMA 2023 National Call. Please join CNMA by participating and supporting local events near you!
CNMA Live for BMHW featuring Aiyana Davison
On Saturday April 15, from 10am-4pm, CNMA will be streaming LIVE from Southern California highlighting BMHW events from the Sankofa Birthworkers Collective featuring the incredible Aiyana Davison of the Vagina Chronicles. Check out our Instagram and Twitter feeds (@cnmamidwives) to view us live. CNMA will be sharing more details soon about this event!
Black Birthing Stories: A Conversation with Allyson Felix
Alameda Health System Foundation invites you to join this dynamic hybrid in-person and virtual event featuring Allyson Felix – mom, elite track and field athlete, and winner of 11 Olympic medals. This special event occurs Tuesday April 11, at 6:00pm. Please register here! Donations and proceeds support the Mary V. King Memorial Fund, which benefits the innovative BElovedBIRTH Black Centering program – a partnership between Alameda Health System and the Alameda County Public Health Department. Ms. Felix will be joined onstage by Dr. Martha Tesfalul, Assistant Professor Maternal-Fetal Medicine at UCSF, with special guest Dr. Kevin Scott Smith, Department Chair, Obstetrics, Midwifery, and Gynecology, Alameda Health System.
Additional BMHW events and special film screenings
Northern California:
Central California: BLACK Wellness & Prosperity Center
Southern California: Black Women for Wellness
Health Policy
CNMA Sponsors Cleanup Bill: SB 667 (Dodd)
CNMA is thrilled that SB 667 (Dodd) was introduced on February 16. See press release here. If passed, this bill will continue the work that was started with SB 1237 in 2020, which was focused on increasing access to midwifery care in order to address the maternal mortality crisis and racism-based disparities in our state. Since 2020, midwives across the state have given extensive feedback on what’s left to do to enhance integration and sustain independent practice. SB 667 will be heard in Senate Business, Professions, and Economic Development Committee on Monday April 17. Please call in to support when the bill is heard in committee. More instructions to come!
CNMA Co-Sponsors Bill to Prevent Provider Discrimination by Malpractice Insurers: AB 571 (Petrie-Norris)
CNMA is also proud to announce that we will be co-sponsoring a bill specific to abortion and gender-affirming care. This bill would prevent malpractice insurers from discriminating against providers of abortion care and gender-affirming care. For example, the bill would ensure that malpractice carriers cannot increase premiums, impose a surcharge or other additional compensation or cost, institute or increase deductible amounts or other cost sharing payable by the insured, solely based on the fact that the insured provides abortion care or because they had adverse legal or administrative action taken against them in another state for providing abortion or gender-affirming care if such care would have been legal in California. This bill can be viewed here (updated language will be published soon).Other co-sponsors include ACOG, CMA, TEACH, and NARAL.
Please stay connected with CNMA policy updates here. If you want to be involved in CNMA’s health policy work, contact advocacy@cnma.org or consider signing up for this year’s Reproductive Freedom Week (more info on that below)!
Reproductive Freedom Week
Reproductive Freedom Week (RFW) has been scheduled! Save the dates: April 17-21. RFW is a "virtual statewide advocacy event, coordinated by California Coalition for Reproductive Freedom (CCRF), and featuring advocacy training, in-district legislative visits, and other community-building events." For the last three years, CNMA has participated in Reproductive Freedom Week in lieu of an in-person lobby day. This allows us to have a larger reach – we lobby in our own districts and coordinate efforts that advance reproductive freedom as a whole (including midwifery practice issues!) while simultaneously educating policy makers and community partners about midwifery. Participation in RFW also allows us to be a good partner to our supporters at the California Coalition for Reproductive Freedom. More information here.
Healthy Birth Day in Washington D.C.
Join Healthy Birth Day advocates on May 10-12 in Washington D.C. shine light on the public health crisis of stillbirth and the need to find solutions to prevent the unnecessary loss of babies and moms. Congress fell short of making the Maternal and Child Health Stillbirth Prevention Act and the SHINE for Autumn Act law in 2022, we are anticipating that both pieces of legislation will be reintroduced in the 118th Congress, and hoping they TAKE ACTION AND PASS this critical legislation. If you would like to join, please email Jen Rowray for more information.
Education, Trainings, and Webinars
CNMA 2023 Annual Meeting!
Join us in Los Angeles for the 2023 CNMA Annual Meeting. Speakers this year include: King Yaa: Queer Reproductive Care, Dr. Anna Glezer: Perinatal Mood Disorders, Gabriela Grant: Care and Evaluation of the sex worker, and more to come! Our site will be updated as presenters confirm. August 26, 2023 at the Omni Hotel in Los Angeles. Get your tickets! Discounted prices for members and students! 8 CEUs. CNMA 2022 Annual Meeting Recording: If you weren't able to make the 2022 Annual Meeting in real time this year, here’s another opportunity to purchase tickets and catch up! Janelle Palacios spoke on the Arrive Trial. Ana Delgado spoke on Using Quality Improvement to Advance Equity. Rixa Freeze spoke on Breech Birth Maneuvers. Tanya Khemet Taiwo spoke on Environmental Factors affecting Fetal Development. Paris Maloof-Bury spoke on the Marginalization of Black Midwives in America. 8 CEUs. Register here.
CNMA Online Abortion Training
CNMA is offering online abortion training on Friday, April 28, 2023 from 8 AM - 12 PM PST. This training is open to all APRNs and RNs who wish to learn about abortion care, and will cover values clarification, options counseling, medication abortion prescribing and updates, and telehealth abortion. $100, 4 CEUs. Register here.
** SAVE THE DATE: In-Person Manual Vacuum Aspiration Training (1) will be held on August 27, 2023 at the Omni Hotel in LA from 1:00-5:30pm the day after the Annual Meeting. Register here.
ACNM 2023 Annual Meeting
ACNM is delighted to formally invite you to the 68th Annual Meeting & Exhibition, which will be held at the Caribe Royale Orlando in sunny Orlando, Florida. Join us to reconnect with colleagues, build new relationships, and address pressing challenges and opportunities in a candid, interactive format. PRE-CONFERENCE: MAY 5-6, 2023. MAIN EVENT: MAY 7-9, 2023. The ACNM Annual Meeting & Exhibition brings together the largest concentration of certified nurse-midwives (CNMs) and certified midwives (CMs) in the nation, along with other women’s health practitioners, allied health professionals, researchers, faculty, community leaders, policymakers, and midwifery students in support of common goals to advance women’s health and the practice of midwifery. Register now!
**Please take a moment to watch this video message from the current and past presidents of ACNM.
AWHONN 2023 Convention
The 2023 AWHONN Convention, taking place June 17-21, 2023 in New Orleans, will be a transformative event that will help you to develop and hone your leadership skills, empower your team to adopt and adapt new standards in care, reevaluate and inspire change to historically challenging workplace cultures, and understand how playing a part in nursing and patient advocacy can increase delivery of quality patient care while improving the nursing environment. *Members experiencing financial hardship and members of underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply for a convention scholarship.
ANA: Overcoming Obstacles to a Successful DEI Program: Key Actions all Nurse Leaders Can Take Now - FREE!
Developing and implementing a successful Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) program within your institution is a critical imperative for all nurse leaders. The rewards of accomplishing this are many, including higher employee satisfaction, less turnover, and improved patient care. The obstacles, however, are many. This 90-minute webinar, presented by a nurse DEI expert, Nikki E. Akparewa, RN, MSN, MPH, addresses some of these obstacles and provides real-world actions you can take now to ensure that your DEI program accomplishes its goals. A viewing link will be emailed to all registrants on or about May 17, 2023. Register here!
Perinatal Mood Disorders: Components of Care
This two-day course, taught by expert and engaging faculty, uses a thorough, evidence-based curriculum designed for psychiatrists, nurses, physicians, social workers, mental health providers, childbirth professionals, social support providers, and anyone interested in building skills for assessment and treatment of perinatal mood disorders. Your registration includes training manual, handouts, and certification of continuing education credits. April 26 & 27, 2023 at 8:30 am - 5:00 pm CT via Zoom. Register here.
The Midwife as Surgical First Assistant
The full schedule of The Midwife as Surgical First Assistant (First Assist) Virtual Clinical Labs for 2023 is now available! First Assist focuses on training midwives to participate and provide continuity of care for patients during a cesarean section.
Tuesday, April 18 (10:00am – 4:00pm EST) Registration closes on Monday, April 3*
“American Hospitals” Film Screening
Join Healthy California Now for a screening of the new film, “ American Hospitals,” which exposes a sector of the healthcare industry that often gets off “scot-free,” when debating the cost of healthcare. “American Hospitals” examines the economic structure of the hospital industry that is charging outrageous fees while sitting on billions of dollars in accumulated cash – while 100 million Americans suffer from medical debt. The film argues that hospitals are the driving force that makes the average cost of a family health insurance policy exceed $22,000, plus an additional deductible cost of up to $18,200. A panel of front-line providers and advocates for a healthcare system that provides better care at lower costs will discuss issues raised by the film and propose solutions to the systemic inequities of healthcare, and show how you can get involved in winning guaranteed healthcare in California. To get your tickets for a screening near you, click here. Screenings will be held between April 11- April 26th in selected California cities.
Annual Nurse Practitioner’s Premier Women’s Healthcare Conference
NPWH is accepting abstract submissions for posters, podium presentations, and clinical breakout sessions at our 26th Annual NPWH Premier Women's Healthcare Conference, being held October 29 - November 1, 2023, in San Diego, California. For questions regarding research/innovative abstracts, please contact Carol Wiley. For questions regarding clinical abstracts, please contact Donna Ruth. Deadline to Apply: April 16, 2023.
Obstetric Violence: What it is and what community can do about it
This is vital information on obstetric violence presented with trauma awareness for the learner.
Course goals are to:
Integrate trauma awareness and trauma-informed practice in ourselves
Define, identify, and contextualize manifestations of obstetric violence
Strengthen our own advocacy skills and build community to advocate against obstetric violence
8-10 CEUs. Register and learn more here.
Understanding how Trauma affects the Black Community
Racism, whether unconscious or overt, has long-term impacts on the mental and behavioral health of Black communities. While COVID-19 and racial injustice protests may have brought on new trauma, years of systematic racism, discrimination, and microaggressions have forced Black communities to live in a constant state of high alert, causing traumatic stress. Watch our on-demand webinar, What Is Racial Trauma?, to hear Jamila Holcomb, Ph.D., LMFT, discuss how racial trauma affects the Black community and ways both clinicians and organizations can better connect with Black clients. During the webinar, you’ll learn:
How racial trauma affects the mental, emotional, and physical health of the Black community
The impacts racial discrimination can have on Black youth and emerging adults
Strategies to help clinicians and organizations better connect with their Black clients
How organizations can help all staff members understand their own implicit bias To view previously listed educational opportunities, please visit our website at https://www.cnma.org/courses.
Volunteer Opportunities
Call for Stories about Abortion Care Post-Roe
UCSF is launching a study that aims to document poor-quality care post-Dobbs due to new restrictive abortion laws. Health care providers can anonymously submit stories about care that deviated from the usual standard at CarePostRoe.com. Some examples of cases we’re hoping to document include:
Delayed provision of abortion care for people whose health may be compromised by continuing the pregnancy (including young adolescents)
Delayed management of ectopic pregnancy
Delayed treatment for spontaneous pregnancy loss and preterm premature rupture of membranes
Difficulty providing standard-of-care treatment due to the concern of causing an abortion, regardless of whether the patient was pregnant or not (e.g., chemotherapy, methotrexate, or misoprostol for a non-abortion indication)
Providers can submit either a written narrative or leave a voice memo with details of the case. The submissions are anonymous but if providers would like to be contacted for an interview, they can leave their contact info, which is not linked to their submission. The study is approved by the UCSF IRB.
Join the ACME Board of Commissioners
Imagine an opportunity where the rewards continue to grow year after year…Serving as a Commissioner provides one of the best chances to help! The ACME Board of Commissioners (BOC) is a volunteer-led board and is responsible for helping midwifery education programs to perform at the highest level of quality. The BOC is responsible for developing and enforcing the policies and procedures that guide day-to-day operations; and has chief authority for the development of the ACME pre/accreditation criteria. As a Commissioner, you will join a group of dedicated, mission-focused leaders who work collectively to promote excellence in midwifery education. Deadline to apply is April 20, 2023.
General Requirements: CNMA/CM * Certified by AMCB * Minimum master's degree with evidence of academic and experiential knowledge of curriculum development, implementation, and evaluation * Experience in midwifery education and practice * Familiarity with the accreditation process * Familiarity with digital communication and workflow technologies such as Dropbox, Zoom, Google Docs, etc. * Commitment to attend meetings and join conference calls as necessary. To learn more about this rewarding opportunity, please send an email to acme@acnm.org.
Scholarships, Grants, Funding, and Awards
Los Angeles Maternal Mental Health Access Program Opportunity
The University of Washington Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and the Community Clinic Association of Los Angeles County are leading a multiyear effort to implement the collaborative care model for maternal mental health in Los Angeles community clinics. Elevation Health Partners, Maternal Mental Health NOW, and Concert Health are collaborating partners. The effort, known as the Los Angeles Maternal Mental Health Access (LAMMHA) program, is designed to support health centers in Los Angeles to identify and treat common perinatal mental health disorders. Co-developed with community stakeholders, the LAMMHA program offers Los Angeles County providers and community clinics support to improve perinatal mental health care. Apply here.
Job Opportunities
Chief Certified Nurse Midwife- Kaiser Oakland
In conjunction with Chief of Service and/or OB/GYN physicians, the Chief CNM, supervises the Certified Nurse Midwives. Independently manages the care of low risk women during antepartum, intrapartum and postpartum periods. Co-manages higher risk patients when determined appropriate by CNM and MD. Provides standard maternity care and counseling to women adhering to the standards of the American College of Nurse Midwives, procedures and instructions regulated by the State Nurse Practice Act and The Permanente Medical Group. Learn more and apply here.
Tenure-Track Faculty Position- University of California, San Francisco
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), Department of Family Health Care Nursing announces a search for a ladder rank tenure track faculty position. UCSF is seeking a visionary scientist with an established or promising research program to strengthen and expand our current research portfolio by joining our vibrant and collaborative research community. As a premier public university and a national and global leader in the preparation of nurse scientists, the UCSF Department of Family Health Care Nursing is committed to advancing scholarship and teaching in parent, child, and family health. We are particularly interested in nurse scientists focusing on implementing science and serving underserved and vulnerable populations and integrating with clinical practices, clinical science, and population health. Apply here
Per Diem Certified Nurse Midwife- Zuckerberg San Francisco General
ZSFG Midwifery is the longest-standing hospital-based midwifery practice in San Francisco and strongly committed to physiologic birth as demonstrated by collaboration with community doula programs and one of the lowest cesarean-section rates in California. ZSFG nurse-midwives are members of a collaborative, interprofessional team with a shared commitment to providing respectful, culturally humble care to all patients and families. In addition, we play a key role in nurse-midwifery education as the primary clinical site for the UCSF program. The CNM who fills this position will work primarily in the Birth Center, covering mostly nights and weekends. Hours are variable depending on vacation and sick leave coverage needs but will generally range between 12-48 hrs/month. For more information, apply here.
Certified Nurse Midwife- Millie Clinic
Millie Clinic is a new midwifery practice in Berkeley, CA. We provide full scope midwifery services -- including perinatal, basic gynecology and medication abortion care at our clinic that is located across the street from Alta Bates Hospital, where our patients deliver. We are an intimate, growing midwifery practice and we are hiring for 3-4 CNM positions at this time. Our care model includes robust patient education, delivered to patients via our app in addition to including once a trimester appointment with our doulas. We provide home postpartum visits to our patients and have lengthened appointment times compared to typical hospital-based practices. Midwife schedules are a combination of clinic days and L&D shifts. Full time and part time are available (FT is preferred), start date is flexible. Compensation is competitive, benefits, and options for equity in the company. Please go to our website for the full job description. You can email careers@millieclinic.com with your resume and statement of interest.
To view previously listed educational opportunities, please visit our website at https://www.cnma.org/jobs.
Medi-Cal Rx
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Midwife Crush Mondays!
Do you know an amazing Midwife who is doing revolutionary work? We want to feature them on our social media platforms!
CNMA is looking for submissions for our new social media series “Midwife Crush Monday” where we highlight the stories of trailblazing midwives across the industry who are making a difference in the midwifery profession. You can even submit yourself!
Here’s what we’re looking for:
Midwife’s name (include pronouns)
Affiliated organization(s)
Why you became a midwife (and anything awesome you’d like to brag about)
Headshot/Photo if available
Bonus: Please include social media handles for tagging!
Please send submissions to sm@cnma.org for consideration!
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