Province announces funding on International Day of the Midwife

Thanks to an agreement reached Friday, the supply of midwives in Alberta will soon be better able to meet demand.
 
On the International Day of the Midwife, the Alberta Government says Alberta Health Services and the Alberta Association of Midwives (AAM) have reached an accord which will increase the number of midwives practising in this province, particularly in rural and remote areas.
 
In Budget 2016, $11 million was invested into midwifery care with the goal of targeting growth in underserved communities.
 
Linnea Deutscher is a local registered nurse and organized Friday’s International Day of the Midwife rally at Red Deer’s City Hall Park.
 
She hasn’t heard from consumer groups or other midwifery proponents about what they think, but feels anything the government is willing to do to give Alberta women choice is a positive.
 
“I’m particularly happy in that it’s talking about serving underserved women. A lot of women, especially in the south and north, have to drive to go for hospital visits, so if we had a midwifery practice in the rural areas, they wouldn’t have to do that,” she said.
 
“In a perfect world, every Albertan women would have the choice for her maternity care provider and the world would be a better place for it.” 
 
The agreement between AHS and the AAM does the following:

–Maintains or increases current funding levels for established midwife practices.
–Supports graduates of Mount Royal University’s Bachelor of Midwifery program so they can start their careers in Alberta instead of having to move to other provinces.
–Manages the costs of liability insurance for midwives.
–Creates a joint process that AHS and the association will use to determine how to allocate new funding

“We’re pleased to have a two-year agreement and the government’s continued commitment to increasing midwifery services for Alberta families,” says Nicole Matheson, AAM president. “We look forward to continuing to work with our health-care partners to address the non-financial barriers to the sustainable growth of midwifery in Alberta.”

Funding committed to midwifery in 2016 totals $14.6 million. Another $16.3 million has been allocated for 2017-18 and then $18.1 million in 2018-19.