The Innovations in Maternity Health Service Committee is using this year’s APHA Annual Meeting to begin a campaign to improve United States policy on access to maternity services for all women.   The Committee has planned several sessions to focus on these issues, and will use business sessions to organize this advocacy effort.  The APHA Annual Meeting is essential to the lifeblood of this organization.  Not only does the meeting provide a large amount of the revenue for the group; but it is the place individuals go to get recharged to meet their various professional responsibilities. 

The four sessions sponsored by the committee this year at the Annual Meeting include the following:  

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  Developing Local and National Policies to Assure Access to Comprehensive Maternity Care:  Monday, Nov. 6, 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., Session #3131.0 -- An oral session that explores evidence-based issues in maternity services.
  
  
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  Options for Childbirth:  A Fundamental Woman’s Right:  Monday, Nov. 6, 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., Session #3412.0 -- Another oral session on evidence-based issues.
  
  
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  Innovations in Maternity Health Services -- Policy and Financing:  Tuesday, Nov. 7, 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., Session #4272.0 -- A poster session.
  
  
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  Women’s Choices in Childbirth -- Access to Care:  Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., Session #5178.0.  -- This final oral scientific session includes Hencie Goen, author of  An Intelligent Woman’s Guide to Childbirth, and other speakers. 

The focus of these panels is:  What do pregnant women want and need?  How do they make their decisions?  Where do they get their information about birth options?  How can health professionals facilitate their patients getting evidence-based information to improve decision making, is our goal.  We want to stress “partnering” of practitioner and patient.

The Committee meeting will follow the Monday afternoon seminar.  The baseline for the advocacy program will be set at that time.  We are looking for increased participation and new members, since both of the present co-chairs have other section responsibilities within APHA for the next two years.

The mission of the Innovations in Maternity Health Services Committee is to raise the “hard” questions in childbirth:  Why do maternity care providers do what they do? Is it necessary? Is it mother- and child-friendly?  Does it help have better outcomes?  The continued growth of technology has caused loss of control by childbearing families of their birth options.  The focus  is on alternatives to traditional obstetrics, including midwives, birth centers, and home birth.  The present crisis in malpractice is forcing us to look at the even bigger picture:  WHO IS GOING TO CATCH THE BABIES?  The almost five-fold increase in malpractice is closing birth centers and forcing both low-risk and high-risk providers to reevaluate what they are doing.   There is a need to establish a national conversation on this vital issue. At this time, the Committee feels that the underlying structure of maternal health care delivery should be evaluated.

Looking forward to seeing you in Boston!

Barb Levin  (BarbL11@aol.com)    

Carol Nelson (cpmcnel@usit.net) 

Cecilia Wachdorf