For Immediate Release:	May 21, 2009
For More Information:	Steff Hedenkamp, The Big Push for Midwives Campaign, Steff@TheBigPushForMidwives.org, (816) 506-4630
Sponsor Organization:	The Big Push for Midwives Campaign
Expert Panel to Address the Need to Include Services of Certified Professional Midwives in Health Care Reform
WHAT: Members of Congress have been invited to learn more about how increasing access to out-of-hospital maternity care provided by Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs) plays a critical role in lowering costs and improving outcomes as we reform our health care system. WHY: The current unsustainable model of U.S. maternity care delivers inferior results at premium costs. High rates of cesarean surgery are driving up costs without improving birth outcomes. Escalating rates of preterm and low birth weight deliveries are fueling high rates of infant mortality, and racial and ethnic disparities in birth outcomes, as well as increasing the long-term costs associated with maternity care. WHO: Kenneth C. Johnson, PhD, Senior Epidemiologist/ Research Scientist, Evidence and Risk Assessment Division, Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Control, Public Health Agency of Canada, Ontario, Canada David A. Anderson, PhD, Paul G. Blazer Professor of Economics, Dept. of Economics, Centre College, Danville, KY Betty-Anne Daviss, M.A., R.M., Research Midwife and Adjunct Professor, Pauline Jewett School of Women’s Studies, Carleton University Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Eileen Nehme, MPH, Mother of two girls born out-of-hospital: six-year-old Iris and three-year-old Nora, Austin, TX The Big Push for Midwives Campaign supports grassroots activists across the country as they build winning, state-level advocacy campaigns towards successful regulation and licensure of Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs) in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, as well as educates national policymakers about the reduced costs and improved outcomes associated with out-of-hospital maternity care. WHERE: Sewall-Belmont House, 144 Constitution Avenue, NE, Washington, D.C. WHEN: Between 8 and 9 a.m. on Thursday, May 21. Coffee and refreshments will be served. #####