Cal Matters releases story about birth center closures in California.
Aug 26, 2024. Coalition members from Midwifery Access California tell their stories of loss as birth centers around the state close and birthing people lose access to maternity and reproductive health services. Click image for more.
Midwifery Access California will also be presenting a live webinar on September 10, 2024, in partnership with the National Health Law Program, to discuss the impact of these closures and the work of Midwifery Access California to save birth centers and midwifery access. Click the webinars tab for more on this series.
California Health Line releases story about UCSF’s decision to cancel its master’s program for nurse-midwives amid maternal health access crisis.
In this article, California Health Line reporter Ronnie Cohen interviews MACa coalition members Liz Donnelly, CNM, and Kim Dau, CNM and former UCSF midwifery education program director, on the projected impact of UCSF’s decision to cancel its master’s program for Nurse-Midwives in favor of a pricier, longer doctoral program. Click image for more.
The Institute for Medicaid Innovation releases its report on team California!
Aug 28, 2024.
Team California is the final case study in our inspiring Midwifery Learning Collaborative series.
In 2021, the Institute for Medicaid Innovation (IMI) launched the national Medicaid and Midwifery Learning Collaborative, an intensive, three-year initiative, led by IMI and funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
Five state-based teams - Arizona, California, Kentucky, Michigan, and Washington - were selected from a competitive application process. California’s state-based team is IMI’s Midwifery Learning Collaborative’s largest, starting with 30 members in 2021 and ending the three-year journey with 51, and a retention rate of original members that exceeded 80%.
The California team consistently encouraged a “dream big” mindset for their work. They applied this thinking to tackle one of the biggest issues in Medicaid: inadequate reimbursement. Together, they created a completely unique midwifery payment model. Click the image to learn more.
Please also check out the other inspiring case studies in this series. Read about how Team Kentucky, Team Washington, Team Michigan and Team Arizona are working to improve birth outcomes.
KQED Forum presents “Maternity Deserts on the Rise in California.”
In this broadcast about maternity deserts in California and the worsening problem of maternity unit closures in California, MACa coalition member Holly Smith, CNM, discusses the potential for midwives as a strategy to fill access gaps. Click image for more.
Cal Matters releases story on how California policies keep midwives out of business.
Midwifery Access California coalition member, Madeleine Wisner, LM, is profiled in this story about efforts to improve midwife-led care in Medi-Cal, and the difficulties encountered by midwives at every turn. Click image for more.
