Idaho
Midwifery
Council		 Previous Legislative updates

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Legislative Updates

        The following legislative updates are listed in chronological order, from latest to earliest:

Legislative Report   Summer 2007

(Michelle Bartlett: Legislative Committee Chair)

I hope you are all having a wonderful summer. It is always too short in my book. I am, as always, way busier with life than seems humanly possible. But, I somehow manage to live my life to the fullest.

Currently, the legislative committee is working with the Idaho Perinatal Project to iron out some of their issues with Senate Bill 1145, our voluntary licensure bill. They have formed a very midwife friendly subcommittee. We are all hopeful that we can make changes to the bill that we all like and that they will endorse. To date, we have been able to settle many of their concerns regarding insurance reimbursement, malpractice, immunity, and several others.

However, the IMC legislative committee and the IMC board are also working on revisions to the bill so that we can move forward next legislative session. As always, we value your input.

We are currently asking for every midwife in the state to please have their clients send short letters to their legislators asking for their support of S1145 and why it is important to them. I am also setting up meetings with legislators. If you have a family that is willing to help, please have them email me. I am trying to cover every legislator from Salmon-Pocatello and all the way to the Boise area.

I have already had a wonderful meeting with Senator Bair (Blackfoot). He is on the Health & Welfare committee. I was able to answer some of his questions and concerns regarding last year’s bill. We now have his full support.

We need midwives to keep encouraging the clients to become members of Idahoans for Midwives and, at the very least to allow us to add their email addresses to the database. This is very important. We need to grow the membership/database by 600 names this year. Some of you have very busy practices, so I think we can accomplish this if we all work hard. If you need more information on IFM, please send me an email and I will forward it to Caralee Anderton.        

If you haven’t been involved, please consider helping. This bill is for everyone. I am always available to help set up meetings, send out information, or answer questions. If you are not able to help with our lobbying effort, please consider making a sizeable donation to IMC for legislation.

Thank you so much for your continued support!
 

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Legislative Report   Spring 2007

It is Wednesday morning. I am sitting here at my desk contemplating what I would like to say to everyone. There is so much to say. But first and foremost, I want to say thank you to all of you that had your clients, families, and friends contact Senators to get the bill passed. Let me tell you, I was at the capitol. They were all getting lots and lots of emails. They had stacks of them. We were making our presence and our wishes known.

I learned a tremendous amount being in the halls and offices of the Idaho state capitol. Pat Holmberg, our volunteer lobbyist, was a great teacher. Words cannot express my gratitude and appreciation for all of her effort and hard work.

We were able to speak with most of the Senators on the health & welfare committee. Most of them were supportive of the idea of voluntary licensure for midwives. Some of them will want mandatory licensure but I don’t think that that issue is going to be a big battle in the future. As matter of fact, I don’t think the medications we were asking for or the voluntary nature of our bill are the biggest issues. The biggest issues were that we had not tried to work with the medical associations prior to presenting this bill and some of the wording in the bill itself.

After I returned home, I have received several very nice emails from some of the Senators in the health & welfare committee, praising our efforts and telling us not to be discouraged and to keep moving forward. Our sponsor, Senator Keough, is also committed to helping us move forward next year as well. Lastly, and very important is that some of the Idaho Perinatal Project board members are also wanting to help us get our bill passed. They came out in opposition to the bill as it was written but not against licensure itself. As a matter of fact, a little birdie told me that one of the docs on the IPP board had siblings born at home with the help of a midwife. We have a lot of support already.

Where do we go from here? There is so much that needs to be done. When this legislative session ends there are several things that need to happen.

  1. We have to make sure that every Senator and Legislator in Idaho gets visited by a family and a midwife at least once but twice would be better. We have to educate them on the qualifications of midwives and why only a voluntary bill will work in Idaho.
  2. We have to continue to send them birth announcements every time a baby is born into the hands of a midwife.
  3. We need to have a very strong showing for Idaho Midwives Day. We need to have the press involved and we need to invite the Senators and Legislators to these events.
  4. We need Idahoans For Midwives to continue to grow and thrive. This organization was key this year in the support we received from the Senators. Caralee did an excellent job of representing the families of Idaho at the committee hearing. The organization needs to grow. We need every family willing in Idaho, to be a part of this organization and to have their names included in the database. We need every midwife in the state to make a commitment to sign families up to IFM and at least get their permission to be included in the IFM database for the purposes of promoting midwifery in Idaho thru legislation and education.
  5. We will need to be willing to try and work with the medical community. We have to be seen as team players. We have to give it a 100% effort to try and work with the IPP, IMA, and many of the other medical associations in the state. Then next year, we can go back and say we tried and this is where we are at and this is why you should pass our bill.
  6. The legislative committee needs to separate from the IMC board. There are a couple of reasons for this. One being that the legislative committee will need to meet weekly to stay on task for the next legislative session. And secondly, the regional reps, secretary etc. will not be as bogged down with things that really don’t pertain to the separate function of legislation. The legislative committee is an arm of IMC but not IMC. The legislative committee will continue to meet weekly and will report to the IMC board monthly. This way our regular board members can have some breathing room and not become overwhelmed with meetings and tasks.

It is my sincere hope that we all have a wonderful spring. And that we will all be filled with a renewed sense of hope for our legislative endeavors. If you would like to help or would like to talk to me personally about legislation, please feel free to contact me.

Michelle Bartlett, CPM.

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Senate Bill 1145:  Note from Michelle Bartlett

          Thank you so much for all of your support this year. Our bill was not able to make it out of committee. However, our bill was the most talked about piece of proposed legislation thanks to all of your letters, post cards, faxes and emails. The senators on the Health & Welfare committee were impressed by all of our support.

          We will need to make some changes to the wording of our bill for next year. And we will need even more supporters. So if you have not officially joined Idahoans for Midwives, please do so. We will need more funding for next year. You can join by going on their website at www.idahoansformidwives.org.  Membership is only $20 for the year and you get a free t-shirt.

          We will really need to razzle-dazzle the committee next year. So we will need to spend this summer visiting and educating them about midwives and midwifery care.

          I have learned so much during this session. My brain is bursting with new ideas and task lists. I know we can get it through. We had a lot of support in committee for our bill.

          Again, thank you so much.
          Michelle Bartlett, Legislative Co-Chairperson


Date of Senate H&W Committee Hearing

The date of Senate Bill 1145, the Idaho Voluntary Midwifery Licensure Act, has been set for Monday, February 26, at 3:00 p.m. in room 437.  Be there if at all possible.


February 2007 Update:  Senate Bill 1145 Introduced

Senator Shawn Keough has notified us that Senate Bill 1145, Midwifery Voluntary License Act, was introduced today, February 12, by the Senate Health and Welfare Committee.  Chairman Senator Patti Ann Lodge will schedule the bill for a hearing in the near future, perhaps as early as next week.  The Health and Welfare Committee meets Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. 

The full text of the bill is available for viewing and downloading at  http://www3.state.id.us/oasis/minidata.html. The bill currently has eight sponsors and/or co-sponsors, three senators and five representatives:  Senators Keough, McKague and Henrich; Representatives Roberts, Harwood, Chadderdon, Wood and Shepherd.

 

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October 2006  Note from Barb Rawlings 

Hello fellow midwives and friends,

I am taking this opportunity to send you my warmest wishes for a healthy, happy and successful new year and to ask for your help.  2007 could be a big year for us Idaho midwives and we all need to work together to create success.  I have several points to cover:
 
1)  PLEASE send client contact information to Idahoans for Midwives.  These women are eager to help us by organizing supporters but they can't do it if we don't sent them that info.  Also consider joining, donating $ for their expenses, and don't forget to sign new clients up, give out newsletters, add them to the data base.  PLEASE help in these ways.
 
2)  If you haven't rejoined IMC yet, please do so as the new membership year begins Jan.1.  Send $25 to IMC c/o Kendra Scarlett, Rt.1, Box 2755  Bonners Ferry, ID 83805
 
3)  Submit stories, articles, information, jokes etc. to the IMC newsletter, deadline Jan.5, '07 for the winter issue.  Send to paulawiens@earthlink.net
 
4)  Get out and talk to the legislators in your region.  Take a happy client or 2 and let them tell why they loved their home birth.  If you need talking points, contact us and we will send them to you.  They need to know we are here and what we want.
 
5)  If you are not sending birth announcement post cards to your legislators please begin doing so.  It really gets their attention.
 
6)  Either begin or continue submitting your practice stats to MANA Division of Research.  This will be important information for us as we move forward.  You do not have to be a MANA member or a CPM to do this and you enter online.  They have made it very easy for us.  The DOR is establishing a database for Idaho.  This part is important:

 IF YOU DO COLLECT STATS IN THIS WAY, ARE YOU WILLING TO HAVE THEM ADDED TO THE  IDAHO DATABASE?  THERE WILL BE NO SEPARATE INFO, ONLY AS A GROUP, SO YOUR INDIVIDUAL STATS WILL REMAIN CONFIDENTIAL.

Please let me know asap if you are willing to participate in this way so we can being the process.
 
Thanks for the wonderful work you do to help families in Idaho.  We are an awesome group and I appreciate being part of it.  Let me know your needs and wants so we can all work together to create success and happiness in 2007!
 
HAPPY NEW YEAR!  BE SAFE AND LAUGH LOTS.

 

Love,
Barb

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October 2006  Note from Barb Rawlings 

Hello everyone,
    This is an attempt on my part, as the IMC President, to bring you all up to date with what we have been up to recently and how you can help, if you are not already involved.
1)  IMC is having a fundraising Raffle - First prize is a Four-Wheeler, Second prize is $500, and the list goes on.  For information and/or tickets contact Sherry Riener or any Region Rep.  PLEASE help by participating.  This is a vital step if we are to succeed.
2)  Idaho Friends of Midwives (IfM) is working very hard, collecting contact information of supporters and creating a database, putting together packets of info for us and our clients to use to talk to/educate and build support of our 
legislators.  PLEASE contact Michelle Bartlett for a packet, newsletters AND send them your client contact info.  These women are fired up and working in our behalf.  Join their yahoo group (Idahoans_For_Midwifery@yahoogroups.com), stay current and help out.
3)  IMC had a successful conference the end of July in McCall and are planning for next summer in the Coeur d'Alene area.  Stay tuned for updates and send me ideas for workshops you would like to see.  Consider teaching us something you are passionate about.
4)  In September members of the IMC board met in Cottonwood for a Lobbying workshop.  It was VERY informative and helpful.  Pat Holmberg, an independent lobbiest in Idaho for 22 years, was our patient teacher.  There is so much to learn and she shared tons of good info.  The board has voted to 
accept her offer to lobby in our behalf for free (we pay her expenses) for 2 days after we introduce our bill.
5)  A core group of us continue to hammer out the draft bill but constantly learn how much there is involved in this process.  We have excellent advisors from NARM, MANA, CfM, a constitutional attorney who is a home birth dad & several midwives from other states that have been thru the process.  I am also in contact with the Idaho Bureau of Occupational Licensing (IBOL) who is willing to advise us about the structural/administrative parts of the bill.  It is such a big job and we remain dedicated to getting it right.
6)  Your IMC board members continue to meet weekly via the internet to keep the momentum up.  We need your participation.  Please join in and help move us forward.

Kendra and I just returned from the national MANA conference in Baltimore.  It was inspiring and extremely educational, not to mention a TON of FUN!  I am hear to tell you that you would all be so impressed by who we are and what is happening on a national level.  This organization is so professional, the women who represent us are amazingly articulate, informed and beautiful.  If you are not currently a MANA member, please consider joining.  They do so much to support midwives, home birth, breastfeeding, parenting, education, 
and on and on.  I feel so proud of how our profession has matured and how eloquently vocal and visable we are.

That's all for now.  Hope I haven't overwhelmed anyone.  Be in touch, ask your questions, get involved.  I feel like I am on a freight train that pulled out of the station about 2 years ago and is now heading down a steep hill.  YIKES!  I want more midwives on this train to enjoy the ride with us.

Thanks for being here.
Barb


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Fall 2006  Note from Barb Rawlings 

Good morning friends,


Last week I met here at our birth center with Sen. Shawn Keough from Dist. 1 and want to get down some thoughts before I loose them (seeing as how my brain is mush these days!).  First of all, she was great, easy to talk to and very forthcoming, helpful and supportive of our work.  She reiterated many things that we already know (or have learned) which made me feel somewhat educated, informed and on task.  
 
1)  This legislature, in general, is opposed to regulation of any kind  
2)  The ONLY chance we have at passing a bill is IF 99% of the midwives support it and IF the opposition is not aired outside our circle, certainly not in front of legislators.  
3)  We will need solid support of as many in the traditional medical community as possible.  
4)  Our "friends", clients, etc. need to be organized first and foremost.  We will need them in both the short and long term, not only to get a bill passed, but to re-mobilize at any time we need them for whatever reason.  She said once a bill is passed it can be changed pretty easily by any legislator at any time after that and we need to always keep watching and stay organized and ready.  I will talk more about this at a later time. 
5)  The most important areas to organize are Idaho Falls, the Treasure Valley and Coeur d'Alene regions.  They have the largest populations, are growing and the most legislators.
6)  She said the birth announcement post cards are a great idea and getting their attention but we now need to let them know why they are getting them and what they are supposed to do.  I explained that we wanted them to know homebirths are happening in their districts with skilled midwives and that they would be hearing more from us soon.  They do not need to respond to these postcards or to the parents unless they want to, that was not our expectation.  So let's take the next step and if you are sending announcements, call or write to introduce yourself and tell them why they are receiving them.  
7)  When asked about sponsors for the bill, her comments were:
a)  Bill Sali is not running for Idaho legislature again so will not be a possibility
b)  The sponsor needs bipartisan support and a solid reputation
c)   Her suggestions are:
House  -  Margaret Henbest, Dem. Boise  She is a ped., very invested in revamping the health care system.  Well respected across the board, articulate and easy to talk to.  She felt if we could get her on board (and the financial savings to the state arguement would be helpful) it would be great.
 
Sharon Block, Rep. Twin Falls.  Chair of H&W committee  Also well respected and her committee will be vital to our success.
 
Senate  - Shawn Keough, Rep. Sandpoint  (She is who I met with)  Said she would like to help us if we would want her.  Feels she has a good bipartisan reputation and is on the H&W committee and is working closely with Rep. Margaret Henbest (above) on health care reform.
 
Joyce Broadsoard, Rep. Cocolalla  Has many contacts in the medical community and may be the next Senate chair of the H&W committee.
 
Maybe Kate Kelly, Dem. Boise and David Langhorst, Dem. Boise

Bart Davis, Rep. Idaho Falls.  Senate Majority Whip with lots of power.  He is a lawyer, a Mormon, she has no idea where he would stand but if we could get him on board, he could be very influential.

Bob Geddes, Rep. Soda Springs, Pro Tem of the Senate and a Bishop in the Mormon church.  He may be a big opposition, really fights regulation but if we could get his support it would be powerful.

So perhaps enough info for the moment.  We are ready to take this step  Talk to me about those legislators mentioned in your area, what you know about them, have they been contacted, would you be willing to contact them.  I created an educational packet from the materials we put together for the IPP meeting and a few other items which Shawn (we are on a first name basis now) said was quite helpful and suggested we send that to our other legislative contacts.  I would be happy to share it with you all.

I'm pooped!    More soon.
 
Barb 

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Spring 2006 Legislative Committee

Michelle Bartlett, Idaho Falls & Inga Arts, Hayden

Things are moving along nicely with legislative planning. The IMC is working very hard and we are getting much done.

Ø      Thank you to Nancy Draznin for her work on a map depicting both the Idaho Midwifery Council’s regions and Idaho’s legislative districts.  This map will be helpful for midwives trying to reach their legislators. 

Ø      Postcards with the message “A New Constituent Has Been Born!” are available to send to legislators.  They will be available at the conference in July or you may contact Paula Wiens to receive a master copy. 

Ø      Packets of legislative information will soon be mailed to midwives across the state. 

Ø      There will be a legislative workshop at the summer conference. This workshop will be very informative and helpful to us. Please plan on attending. 

Ø      We have a new midwifery consumer support group! Thank you to Caralee Anderton for being willing to step up to the plate. 

Ø      Inga continues to build the IMC database.  Your help is needed for this very important project. Please send contact information to Inga Arts. 

The legislative committee is currently seeking volunteers to get projects done that will enable us to pass positive midwifery legislation in the year 2007.  Many of the tasks are small and could be done in a short period of time. Please contact Michelle Bartlett if you are willing to help. 

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Midwives make presentation to the board of the Idaho Perinatal Project

On February 1, 2006 Paula Wiens and Barbara Rawlings made a presentation to the Board of the Idaho Perinatal Project, having been invited to speak about the practice of midwifery in Idaho and how the Idaho Midwifery Council would want to see regulation if it were to happen.  Our power point presentation was informative, impressive, well received and appreciated.  The meeting was enlightening for both sides, we educated them about who we are and how we work, our long history, the CPM process and our proposal for regulation.  We heard about their concerns regarding liability and the current problems that they face in their communities. Everyone felt it was productive and that we have taken a valuable first step.  We continue to keep the lines of communication open and agree there is a lot of work to be done.  The most recent word from Dr. Blea, IPP board chair, is that the IPP has taken no further steps at this time.  We continue to do our research and plan to move forward, keeping other potentially supportive groups informed.  Included in the newsletter are three fact sheets that were presented to the IPP board.

 

PROPOSAL TO LICENSE THE CPM IN IDAHO 

FACT SHEET ABOUT OUR PROPOSAL 

Ø      We propose to license the Certified Professional Midwife (CPM)

Ø      Our proposal would allow midwives who have earned the CPM credential from the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM) to become licensed to provide out-of-hospital maternity care for healthy women experiencing normal pregnancies.

Ø      NARM is approved as a nationally accredited certifying agency by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies and the National Organization for Competency Assurance, the agencies that also authorize the American College of Nurse Midwives CNM credential.
 

Ø      NARM certification includes a rigorous educational and training process that requires a minimum of three to five years to complete; verification of knowledge and skills through the successful completion of a written exam and a hands-on skills assessment process; continuing education, peer review and re-certification every three years.  View at:  www.narm.org.
 

Ø      The American Public Health Association (APHA) recognizes the NARM training and skills assessment process as the basis for a national certification program for licensing midwives who provide out-of-hospital maternity services.
 

Ø      Our proposal requires Licensed Midwives (LM) to follow the standards of the National Association of Certified Professional Midwives (NACPM), which limits the CPM scope of practice to the primary maternity care of healthy women experiencing normal pregnancies.  View at: www.nacpm.net/documents
 

Ø      Our proposal requires the LM to provide clients with detailed information about their skills, experience, education and training, as well as their current malpractice insurance status.
 

Ø      Our proposal mandates that other healthcare providers who consult with or accept transfer of care from a LM do not assume liability for the LM’s actions or omissions.
 

BENEFITS OF LICENSING THE CPM IN IDAHO

Ø      Idaho’s midwives serve a disproportionate number of low-income, rural, un-/underinsured families and other populations that have few affordable maternity-care options available to them.  Licensure of the CPM will help ensure that there are enough trained midwives to provide safe care for Idaho’s underserved populations.

Ø      Licensure of the CPM would provide a mechanism for families who choose out-of-hospital birth to verify the training, skills, and educational credentials of their midwife.

Ø      Licensure of the CPM offers protection to Idaho physicians who collaborate with midwives and ensures that families who choose out-of-hospital birth will be provided with continuity of care when it becomes necessary.

Ø      Licensure of the CPM would clarify the legal status of midwives and assure that they can consult with other providers and transport clients into medical care without fear of legal repercussion.

Ø      According to the APHA, births attended by midwives in out-of-hospital settings significantly reduce the costs of maternity care.

Ø      In June 2005, the British Medical Journal published the latest study in a large body of medical research showing that out-of-hospital birth for healthy women using CPM’s results in outcomes equal to those of a comparable cohort of women giving birth in hospitals, but with much lower rates of avoidable and costly interventions.  View at: http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/330/7505/1416?ehom 

Ø      Licensure of the CMP protects the right of Idaho’s women and families to safely and confidently choose both their caregiver and their place of birth.


PORTRAITS OF TWO IDAHO CPM PRACTICES ~ 2005

Number of births 55 47
Youngest mother 18 20
Oldest mother 41 44
Average age 29 29
Mothers with BA or MA degrees 21  (38%) 12  (26%)
Mothers with no insurance or insurance did not cover midwifery care 41  (75%) 38  (81%)
Number of baby girls 31  (56%) 24  (51%)
Number of baby boys 24  (44%) 23  (49%)
First babies 25  (45%) 13  (28%)
> Fifth babies 8  (15%) 10  (21%)
Heaviest baby 10 lb. 11 oz. 11 lb. 13 oz.
Lightest baby 5 lb. 5 oz. 6 lb. 0 oz.
Average weight 8 lb. 0 oz. 8 lb. 10 oz.
Maternal transports 6  (11%)
1 surprise breech
1 fetal distress
4 prolonged labors		 3  (6%)
2 breeches
1 malpresentation
Newborn transports 0  
Cesarean sections 2  (3.6%) 3  (6%)
Vaginal birth after cesarean 2  (3.6%) 3  (6%)
Maternal deaths 0  
Newborn deaths 0  

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Important!  Check  this out!!

Midwives, apprentices, and supporters of midwifery, please go to this link and read ACOG's statement of policy regarding lay midwives.  Lay midwives include all midwives who have not been certified through the American Midwifery Certification Board (ACMB), formerly known as the ACNM Certification Council:  http://acog.org/departments/perinatalHIV/sop0602.cfm

Legislative Action Needed

It is very likely that midwifery legislation will be introduced in the 2007 legislative session in Boise.  Here is how midwives and supporters can help.

1.  Become a member of IMC as a voting member.

2.  Invite as many midwives and apprentices as possible to join this on-line discussion group, Idaho_Midwives@yahoogroups.com.

3.  Invite all your past and present clients to join the Idahoans_For_Midwifery@yahoogroups.com.

4.  Have a midwives day celebration in your area. Invite the press to interview you and some of your families.  For suggestions on organizing go the Idahoans_For_Midwifery@yahoogroups.com.  

5.  Read the NARM legislative handbook that is available on-line for free at http://www.narm.org/pdffiles/legislativebooklet1-06.pdf.

6.  Donate $15.00 of your client's fee to join them as members of IMC as non-voting members.  In doing so, this will give IMC a long list of midwifery supporters and their contact information.

7.  Invite CBEs, your local LLL, doulas, CNM, supportive docs, etc. to join the on-line consumer discussion group.  The on-line discussion groups are the fastest way to disseminate important information to a large population.

8.  Begin dialoging on this site, Idaho_Midwives@yahoogroups.com. We need to talk, dialog, discuss, and communicate about midwifery legislative issues.

9.  Plan on coming to the IMC Summer retreat. Make your reservations today!

10.  Encourage your clients to contact their legislators – see Idahoans yahoo group, CfM, and the legislative handbook for ideas and information on how to do this.

11.  We need four families from each from each legislative district to volunteer to meet with their legislators for about 10 - 15 minutes to educate them about the safety of out of hospital birth.  I would be willing to mail each family a small packet of information out.  The family would need to take them cookies or brownies.  This family would also need to call their legislator to set up the time and date.  Your hubby would need to be available to go with.  These meetings are extremely important.  The family will just need to share why they chose an out of hospital birth and just be friendly.  A face to face meeting is an excellent way to get this guys on our side.  Otherwise, they will just listen to the docs opposed to midwifery care.  I would like two families to commit for March and two for
April.  One of the families in April will give the legislators a personal invitation to join us on Midwives Day.  NOTE:  You can find your state legislators at this site:  www.idaho.gov/government/elected.html.

We all need each other. We can be strong together. We have to be self-motivated to participate.

Michelle Bartlett

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Winter 2006 Legislative Committee

Michelle Bartlett, Idaho Falls & Inga Arts, Hayden

Dear Friends,

      As of December 30, 2005, the IMC board voted to start a new legislative committee. This committee is co-chaired by Inga Arts in the north and Michelle Bartlett in the south. We are very excited to have the honor to represent all midwives, apprentices and consumers in the great state of Idaho. We welcome all comments regarding future licensure in the state. Currently, all IMC board members have been given copies of the Legislative handbook from the North American Registry of Midwives. This handbook is an excellent tool for creating legislation that works for all midwives. This committee is in its beginning stages. All input is welcome. We are currently looking for team leaders and coordinators in each region.
     Please don't hesitate to email me on the new Idaho_Midwives yahoo group or yahoo consumer group. I look forward to a year of great communication and working to make midwifery better and more accessible in Idaho.

 Sincerely,

 Michelle Bartlett,CPM.


Winter 2005-2006

Board members recently received the NARM publication, Planning for Legislation.  This handbook is an excellent resource for us as we look into legislation here in Idaho.  Also a Legislative Committee has been formed.  Co-chairs are Michelle Bartlett, CPM, and Inga Arts, CPM.
 

Fall 2005

The Idaho Perinatal Project is in the process of studying midwifery in Idaho, looking at reasons for home birth transports, and reviewing the ways in which other states regulate direct-entry midwifery.  IMC has offered resources and information regarding the CPM credential, NARM, MANA, and CFM contacts and intends to continue to build a relationship of cooperation so we can have continued input, stay informed, and remain involved in every level of this process.

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