Tuesday, November 30, 2010

MOMS for the 21st Century:reposted from Journey into Midwifery

MOMS for the 21st Century Act

Please think about taking action and help to demand that care providers use evidence based practices.

 Groups that support this legislation include Amnesty International, Childbirth Connection, The Big Push for Midwives Campaign, the American College of Nurse-Midwives, the National Association of Certified Professional Midwives, the American Association of Birth Centers, and the Midwives Alliance of North America.

This important legislation, whose full title is Maximizing Optimal Maternity Services  21st Century Act,  Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), acting through the Office on Women's Health, to:

(1)- establish the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Promotion of Optimal Maternity Outcomes; and

(2)-develop and implement a consumer education campaign to promote understanding and acceptance of evidence-based maternity practices and models of care for optimal maternity outcomes among women of childbearing ages and families of such women. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, to make publicly available and update an online bibliographic database identifying systematic reviews for care of childbearing women and newborns. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, to:

a- designate maternity care health professional shortage areas under the National Health Service Corps program;

b-establish a loan repayment program to alleviate critical shortages of maternal care professionals; and

(3)- award planning and implementation grants to address workforce disparities for such professionals. Directs the Secretary to support the establishment of two additional Centers for Excellence on Optimal Maternity Outcomes to conduct research to improve maternity outcomes. Requires the Secretary to convene a Maternity Curriculum Commission to discuss and make recommendations for:

a- a shared core maternity care curriculum;

b- strategies to integrate and coordinate education across maternity care disciplines; and

c- pilot demonstrations of interdisciplinary educational models. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to cover services provided by a supervised student midwife or an intern or resident-in-training under a teaching program under certain circumstances.

What can you do? Contact your representative and tell them to support this important groundbreaking act.  Find your representative at:http://www.house.gov/

Follow the bill as it goes through congress!http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-h5807/show 

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