New Year Updates
by admin on January 6, 2010
Happy New Year Everyone!
We are looking forward to an exciting year of networking and activism as we make the big push towards freeing New York midwives from the confines of the WPA (written practice agreement).
We've been strongly encouraged by the outpouring of community support and the momentum is carrying our movement forward. We have been continuing to meet to discuss strategy and organization. There is a lot of energy to move forward and we want to do so mindfully to make sure we are expending our energy in the right directions.
Here are a few noteworthy highlights:
- BirthNet is featured in this month Wishing Well Magazine. We are excited to be working with Wishing Well and widening our scope of community networking. You can create a profile and review BirthNet's profile and leave comments on the article. Your support is appreciated. The article will also be printed in Tompkins Weekly on Monday, January 11. Be sure to pick up a few copies for friends and family.
- BirthNet Meetings: We had a great meeting on 12/30/09 with many new faces. Thank you to everyone who came and brought their good energy and helping hands. We were able to distribute the work effort and make new connections. Next meetings are 1/13/10 and 1/27/10 at Cayuga Family Medicine from 6:30-8:00 pm.
- Greenstar Tabling: Tues 1/12: 5-7pm, Weds 1/20: 4-6 pm & Thurs 1/28: 5-7 pm . We invite you to stop by and sign letter, ask questions, buy a bumper sticker and have you picture taken for the photography project. If you would like to volunteer to sit at the table and help please email Clarissa (lissa.farrell@gmail.com).
- Save the date for Lobby Day on April 12, 2010. Join us on a trip to Albany to talk to legislators on how important it is that they support the Midwifery Modernization Act.
- Our Facebook family continues to grow! If you aren't a fan, please become one and please share our postings with your own networks. You never know who we might reach with the amazing possibility of social media!
- We have started planning a Community Event for winter. It will be an opportunity to gather as a community and show our support for the MMA. We have lots of fun and innovative things in the works so stay tuned for dates and times. If you would like to get involved with the planning we could use your help. Contact Monica at monica@htva.net to volunteer and find out ways to help. We would love to hear your great ideas!
- Do you have relatives who live in other parts of New York State? Please link them up to us. This needs to be a state wide effort and we'd love to have the support of grandparents, friends and loved ones. Show them how to subscribe to this site so we can keep everyone informed as the movement progresses.
I am going to leave you with a Q & A that occurred at the meeting last Wednesday. We appreciate you support as we strengthen the birth network of New York State and make changes the support health and safe care for all women.
Great Question of the night: I understand how this impacts homebirth midwives, but my friends had a hospital birth with midwives- how will this affect them?
Midwives in the hospital have employment contacts that act as practice agreements. But it is not entirely the same thing. Midwives are at risk in hospitals because malpractice insurance to cover those midwives is very high. Midwives get paid less than ob-gyn docs and have a harder time covering their insurance premiums. Hospital midwives are at risked of being dropped from the hospital or OB practice when midwifery programs are too expensive. Eliminating practice agreements for those midwives allow them to practice more freely without risk of being let go because the collaborating entity are unable to support the cost of the midwives’ insurance.
Tagged as:
January 2010,
update
