The Innovations in Maternity Health Services Committee is focusing at the Annual Meeting this year on an agenda to campaign for an improved U.S. policy on access to maternity services for all women. The Committee has planned several sessions to discuss these issues, and will use business sessions to organize the advocacy effort.
The APHA Annual Meeting is essential to the lifeblood of this organization. Not only does the Annual Meeting provide a large amount of the revenue for the Association, but it is the place individuals go to get recharged to meet their professional responsibilities.
The timing, a year before a national election, and the site, in our nation’s capital, are perfect for such a campaign kick-off.
The three sessions sponsored by the Committee this year include the followings:
· Monday, Nov. 5
o 4:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m.: 3421.0 Politics and Policy: Childbirth at the Crossroads
o 6:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m.: 296.0 Innovations in Maternity Health Services Committee Meeting
· Tuesday, Nov. 6
o 4:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m.: 4270.0 Innovative Topics in Maternal and Child Health (Poster Session)
· Wednesday, Nov. 7
o 12:30 p.m.-2:00 p.m.: 5126.0 Innovative Topics in Maternal and Child Health-2
The Innovations Committee is also organizing and co-sponsoring the Martha May Eliot Forum on Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2007 (see preceding article). The Committee meeting will follow the Monday afternoon forum, and the groundwork for the advocacy program will be set at that time. We are looking for increased participation and new members, who would like to help with this campaign, so please plan to join us for the Committee meeting.
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 us reach better outcomes? The continued growth of technology has caused childbearing families to lose control of their birth options. The focus of the Committee 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 and examined for long-overdue reform.
Please join us in this work, and we are looking forward to seeing you in Washington, D.C.
Barb Levin (BarbL11@aol.com)
Carol Nelson (cpmcnel@usit.net)
Cecilia Wachdorf