Upcoming Webinars
The State of Midwifery in California | Previous Webinars
Click here for upcoming webinars. The first five webinars in this series were made possible through the generous funding by the California Nurse-Midwives Foundation.
Webinar 1: The State of Midwifery In California.
In this webinar we will cover some what midwives do, scope of practice, how California compares to other states and countries, and – importantly – how midwives can and should be a key strategy for the double crisis of poor access and disparate outcomes. The intent of this first webinar is to create a foundational understanding of midwifery in order to set the stage for upcoming webinars.
Webinar 2: Midwives & Medi-Cal: CA efforts to improve access to midwife-led care in Medi-Cal & the crisis of birth center closures.
In this presentation, attendees will learn about (1) the triple threat in maternity care and reproductive health care and why access to midwives is a key strategy; (2) learn about the closure of many freestanding birth centers around the state and why this is happening; (3) learn about the work of Midwifery Access California and the tangible strategies advocated by this coalition to stem the tide of closures and improve access to midwifery care, especially in Medi-Cal.
Click here to learn more about panelists. This webinar was presented in partnership with the Western Center on Law & Poverty and the National Health Law Program.
Webinar 3: Midwifery for Legislative Staff, Advocates, & Policy Makers in California
In this presentation, attendees will learn about (1) the history of midwifery in California, (2) why midwifery is a strategy for the double crises of poor maternity care access and racism-based disparities in birth outcomes, (3) the importance of midwifery integration and how it can be achieved via legislative and regulatory changes, (4) why the “patient safety” argument against midwifery practice is a myth, and (5) future legislative proposals that could lead to better integration of midwives and thus better access and outcomes for birthing people.
This webinar presented in partnership with the California Nurse-Midwives Association, the California Association of Licensed Midwives, and Global Communities Healthy Start San Diego -Riverside (HSSD-R). Click here to learn more about the speakers.
Webinar 4: Midwives and Doulas: What’s the difference?
This webinar explores the differences between midwives and doulas and how they share a philosophy of care but have different skill sets, scopes of practice, and training. Together, midwives and doulas provide “whole person care” that is patient-centered. This webinar includes valuable insights into the history of midwifery and birth workers from centuries ago until now. Participants will also get important information about Medi-Cal benefits for midwifery services and doula services. Click here to learn more about the speaker.
Presented in partnership with Western Center on Law & Poverty and Global Communities Healthy Start San Diego - Riverside (HSSD-R).
Webinar 5: Black & Indigenous & Pacific Islander midwives in California: The importance of culturally concordant care & midwifery to address racism-based disparities
Join Midwifery Access California and the California Coalition for Black Birth Justice for a panel discussion with Black, Indigenous and Pacific Islander midwifery leaders in California. This webinar will be moderated by Linda Janet Holmes – writer, biographer, oral historian, curator, long-time women's health activist and author of Safe in a Midwife’s Hands and Listen to Me Good – The Story of an Alabama Midwife.
Webinar 6: Pathways to Midwifery, a webinar for aspiring midwives and for policymakers
Join Midwifery Access California and The California Coalition for Black Birth Justice in discussion with Zulgeil Ruiz-Gines, LM, Dean of Midwifery Program and Operations at Commonsense Childbirth School of Midwifery and Dr. Angela Sojobi, CNM assistant professor and the program director of the women’s health nurse practitioner and nurse-midwifery program at California State University in Fullerton, California, along with newly practicing midwives and current students. The conversation will be facilitated by Kim Q. Đau, CNM, midwife and co-lead of the California Nurse-Midwives Association’s Workforce Development Committee.
This panel discussion is directed towards aspiring midwives in California with information about:
The education pathways for the two midwifery types in CA
Learn from midwifery educators, practicing midwives and current students about what is needed to become a midwife and how to choose a program that is right for you!
Exciting new education opportunities in California: CSU Fullerton is opening up distance learning options for nurse-midwives and CommonSense Childbirth Midwifery School is opening a hybrid direct-entry program in California
Grants, scholarships and other support for your educational pathway
While this webinar is directed towards aspiring midwifery students, we believe the content will be valuable for any policy makers, legislators, and advocates committed to increasing the midwifery workforce.
Click to learn more about the funder for the first 5 webinars in this series
Join MACa!
We are currently accepting new members to the MACa team. We are thrilled about our progress as a group and are excited & invested in growing our team to further our shared goals.
The minimum requirement for participation is joining our monthly meetings/ We hope you will be inspired to join one of our working groups and help push the work along between meetings.