Don't Forget Your MAMA on Mother's Day!
This week we celebrate both International Day of the Midwife on May 5 and Mother's Day on May 8! What a perfect time to honor your midwife, your mother, or yourself with a gift to the MAMA Campaign. Perhaps your family would like some help thinking of the perfect thank you for all that you do - suggest a gift to MAMA! We are hard at work to ensure that all mothers will have access to midwifery care by securing federal recognition of Certified Professional Midwives. Your support is critical to MAMA's success. Make a contribution now and read below for other ways you can get involved. Happy Mother's Day and best wishes to all the midwives of the world from MAMA!
Building Momentum for HR 1054 A steady office-by-office approach on the Hill is gaining early traction for HR 1054, the Access to Certified Professional Midwives Act of 2011. MAMA is very grateful to Representative Chellie Pingree (D-ME-1), our champion and sponsor, and to two original co-sponsors of the bill, Representatives Gwen Moore (D-WI-4th) and Jim McDermott (D-WA-7th). Representatives Jay Inslee (D-WA- 1st) and Peter Welch (D-VT-At-Large) recently stepped forward to become additional co-sponsors - thank you Congressmen Inslee and Welch!
MAMA Flies to Washington! On March 31, MAMA Campaign organizations made thirty-seven visits to their Congress members in both the House and the Senate to build support for HR 1054 as well as for a Senate companion bill.
Interest and support is building, and we expect some of these offices to sign on as co-sponsors soon. For a number of these board members, many of whom are seasoned state advocates, this fly-in was their first time reaching out to Congress on behalf of midwives and mothers.
Our lobbyists from Health Policy Source (HPS) worked with the Campaign over several weeks to prepare for this event, identifying appropriate aides in the offices to meet with, suggesting language for requesting visits, and coordinating visits and teams to accompany each board member to the visits, including HPS staff on many of those teams.
We updated our legislative packet, adding a handout demonstrating cost-savings with the care of CPMs. This handout details the results of the Washington State cost-benefit study, which state advocates may also find helpful.
Continued Advocacy on the Hill In more recent developments, MAMA Campaign representatives returned to the Hill on April 20 and 21 for another round of visits. While we have no firm commitment yet, we do have strong interest in a Senate office for investigating the possibility of a Senate companion bill to HR 1054, and interest is building in several Republican offices as well.
Working With Your MAMA State midwifery advocates are a valuable asset to the MAMA Campaign. Recently one such advocate, responding to a MAMA Campaign information alert, sent us an email about her Congress member who had been a midwifery supporter as a state legislator, co-sponsoring a bill to license CPMs in the state.
We immediately followed up to discuss a strategy with this advocate. The Campaign offered support and consultation to the state advocate during the process of securing a visit for MAMA representatives.
On April 21, Mary Lawlor and Katie Pahner from Health Policy Source had an encouraging visit with this Republican office. We can't share names because outreach to this office is a work in process, but we hope to have good news soon.
If you think you might have useful information about Congress members to share with MAMA, please contact us at info@mamacampaign.org.
Your MAMA Needs You Would you like to work with MAMA to secure the support of your Congress member for HR 1054? Write to us at info@mamacampaign.org and we will partner with you to build momentum for midwives and mothers in Congress! Your help could be invaluable to securing Federal recognition for CPMs: Please come work with us!
NACPM encourages your support of the MAMA Campaign!
With very best wishes,
The NACPM Board of Directors |
