tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69368795256064076972024-03-12T21:49:43.069-04:00Formerly Known as Miami Dade College Midwivesrepresenting the students of the nonexistent fall 2008 midwifery classRjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580925465853642953noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6936879525606407697.post-40570156547111270792009-09-25T22:12:00.003-04:002009-09-25T22:49:28.609-04:00Eating and Drinking and LaboringI'm a little late in discovering <a href="http://www.acog.org/from_home/publications/press_releases/nr08-21-09-2.cfm">ACOG's press release</a> "granting" women the right to now have fluids during labor. My first thought was:<br /><blockquote>Oh, thank you, Massa!</blockquote>...but then I remembered what year it was and began to wonder what year ACOG is functioning in. Not so long before this, ACOG also raised their <a href="http://www.acog.org/from_home/publications/press_releases/nr07-21-09.cfm">labor induction guidelines</a> to no earlier than 39 weeks. I wasn't sure if I should be pleased that maybe they have started to practice real evidenced-based care, or upset that it has taken decades to get here.<span class="fullpost"><br /><br />Anyway, their previous reason for food and drink restriction was operating on the premise that any given woman may need to undergo a C-section, and thus would be at risk for aspiration under anesthesia. However, what, exactly do surgeons do when people present in the emergency room with full guts and they need to go under?<br /><br />From their release:<br /><blockquote>"As for the continued restriction on food, the reality is that eating is the last thing most women are going to want to do since nausea and vomiting during labor is quite common." </blockquote>From my release,<br /><br />I'm sorry, but one of the FIRST things I wanted to do when my contractions started kicking in, was EAT. In fact, I begged the nurse for food. I couldn't even get crackers. But when I started to hold my breath in resistance, gelatin cubes appeared! And, I was spoon fed!<br /><br />And yes, I threw up every last bit of it--attributable to the Stadol I had for pain relief; but I did not regret the food one bit. Choice, that's all we're asking for.<br /><br />Please understand that these policies are based on what's in the best interest of the hospitals and insurance companies--not mothers and babies. If you know what's best for you, is in opposition to hospital policy, utilize peaceful resistance, or, stay out of the hospital.<br /><br />Women who birth with home birth midwives have been eating and drinking and laboring since forever. What job can you perform while abstaining from food and drink and only dousing your mouth with ice chips. What year are you laboring in? </span>Rjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580925465853642953noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6936879525606407697.post-72209837251795529302009-09-11T12:14:00.003-04:002009-09-11T13:33:09.790-04:00The Today's Show Tries to Bash Midwifery with an AnecdoteAmidst the full swing of politics happening right now in midwifery, do not be surprised by major media outlets continuing to paint us in a negative light. Those who have fought for midwifery recognize this as the same ol' battle.<br /><br />I would have previously considered the Today's Show rather informative and progressive, until, today:<br /><br /><center><div><iframe src="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22425001/vp/32795933#32795933" frameborder="0" height="339" scrolling="no" width="425"></iframe><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; font-size: 11px; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(153, 153, 153); margin-top: 5px; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; text-align: center; width: 425px;">Visit msnbc.com for <a style="border-bottom: 1px dotted rgb(153, 153, 153) ! important; text-decoration: none ! important; font-weight: normal ! important; height: 13px; color: rgb(87, 153, 219) ! important;" href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/">Breaking News</a>, <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032507" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted rgb(153, 153, 153) ! important; text-decoration: none ! important; font-weight: normal ! important; height: 13px; color: rgb(87, 153, 219) ! important;">World News</a>, and <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032072" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted rgb(153, 153, 153) ! important; text-decoration: none ! important; font-weight: normal ! important; height: 13px; color: rgb(87, 153, 219) ! important;">News about the Economy</a></p></div></center><span class="fullpost"><br /><br /><blockquote>"A growing number of mothers are choosing to give birth with no drugs and no doctor"</blockquote>A growing number women no longer consider their bodies a mystery, are educated, no longer are constrained by believing that doctors are omniscient, and are aware of the dangers of pharmaceuticals and unnecessary interventions in a country that has the <a href="http://mdcmidwives.blogspot.com/2008/08/miami-dade-college-letter.html">WORST infant mortality of all industrialized nations</a>.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Spotlight on Ina May's Book</span><br /><br />Many medical practitioners in this country could stand to learn a lot from visiting <a href="http://www.thefarm.org/midwives/index.html">Ina May at the Farm</a> and seeing how she practices. She has a wealth of knowledge and experience, possibly unmatched. She delivers breech and twins.<br /><blockquote>"Wanted their childbirth experience to be special"</blockquote><a href="http://pushedbirth.com/">The childbirth experience</a> is special no matter what happens and no matter how things are accomplished. Women choose midwives for quality care; midwives choose their profession to provide quality care for women that cannot be accomplished in the average medical practice.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Spotlight on Ricki Lake and The Business of Being Born</span><br /><br />When celebrities take on women's issues like these, they become targets and their <span style="font-weight: bold;">cause is made into an issue of being "trendy" to downplay its significance in advancing the rights of women</span>. Since Cara Muhlhahan was featured in BBB, she has become a target as well. I doubt Cara has been practicing for 18 years because it is "trendy."<br /><br /><blockquote>"The mainstream medical community says..."</blockquote>And that "mainstream" community is responsible for our country's <a href="http://www.ican-online.org/">1 in 3 rate of C-sections</a> (though some <a href="http://mdcmidwives.blogspot.com/2009/06/bienvenido-miami-where-pregnant-women.html">hospitals are averaging 1 in 2</a>)<br /><br /><blockquote>"some of the medical emergencies that arise cannot be predicted"</blockquote>And so, is the answer to treat all women as if birth is indeed an emergency? Where has this thinking gotten us? What would be the purpose of emergency professionals and hospital emergency rooms?<br /><br /><blockquote>"it is impossible to compare the two because hospitals deal with more high risk mothers"</blockquote>Comparison is difficult, not impossible. If we are to compare life versus death, we are being too simplistic.<br /><br />This report was completely dramatized for effect. We hardly hear how about how many babies die, or are negatively affected </span><span class="fullpost"> (physical and mental disabilities) </span><span class="fullpost"> by hospital procedures--medications, c-sections, maternal deaths, etc. This information may be published in the hospital statistics, however, responsibility will be placed on the mother (uncooperative) or happenstance. It exists like this for liability and insurance purposes--not to benefit women and babies.<br /><br /><blockquote>"I would have 100 c-sections over, if I could just have my child"</blockquote>If you have a c-section and you are dead, is it worth it? If you have a c-section and your child still doesn't survive, and now you also have complications, is it worth it? If you have a c-section, and your child suffers from extreme complications that are not fatal, is it worth it? These are value question whose answers are unique to those in the situation. Babies die. We need to get off this notion that everyone can be saved because the medical industry uses this against midwifery, highlighting every single incident as the outcome of maternity care out-of the hospital and/or without doctors.<br /> <br />The Today's Show could have presented this story in a more balanced manner (their attempt was pathetic) by citing current research such as:<a href="http://childbirthconnection.org/article.asp?ck=10575"> Evidence Based Maternity Care 2008</a> or <a href="http://childbirthconnection.org/article.asp?ck=10413">New Mothers Speak Out</a>, or <a href="http://childbirthconnection.org/article.asp?ck=10285">Sharp Rise in C-Section Rate Defies Best Evidence and Best Practice</a> to name a few; but instead they chose to use the oldest trick in the book: scare-tactics, to keep women from having a choice in childbirth. Disgusting politics at best.</span>Rjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580925465853642953noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6936879525606407697.post-19444722266089735582009-06-09T11:17:00.010-04:002009-06-09T13:07:44.882-04:00Bienvenido a Miami: Where Pregnant Women are Sold to the Highest Bidder<span style="font-style: italic;">Since I have finally gotten the attention of the Florida Department of Health, the Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services, and the Jackson Memorial Hospital Public Health Department, maybe I should write some more on this blog.</span><br /><br />Thanks to my twitter fans and the great <a href="http://www.ourbodiesourblog.org/blog/2009/05/cesarean-rates-in-some-counties-soar">blogosphere</a>, I learned that <a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/news/broward/v-fullstory/story/1039515.html">a report came out</a>, in May, stating that South Florida's C-section rate has climbed to nearly 50%.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/news/more-info/story/1039529.html">Look at this</a>:<br /><br /><table class="story-table" style="border-collapse: separate;" border="0"><tbody><tr class="story-table-even-row"><td><strong>MIAMI-DADE</strong></td><td><strong>C-Section</strong></td><td><strong> Vaginal</strong></td><td><strong> Total</strong></td><td><strong> C-Sec %</strong></td></tr> <tr class="story-table-odd-row"><td style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Kendall Regional</td><td style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">1,534</td><td style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">646</td><td style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">2,180</td><td style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">70.3%</td></tr> <tr class="story-table-even-row"><td style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Hialeah</td><td style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">871</td><td style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">786</td><td style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">1,657</td><td style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">52.5%</td></tr> <tr class="story-table-odd-row"><td style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">South Miami</td><td style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">2,483</td><td style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">1,662</td><td style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">4,145</td><td style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">59.9%</td></tr> <tr class="story-table-even-row"><td style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Baptist</td><td style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">2,221</td><td style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">2,195</td><td style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">4,416</td><td style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">50.3%</td></tr> <tr class="story-table-odd-row"><td style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Mercy</td><td style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">803</td><td style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">581</td><td style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">1,384</td><td style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">58.0%</td></tr> <tr class="story-table-even-row"><td>Mount Sinai</td><td>944</td><td>1,000</td><td>1,944</td><td>48.6%</td></tr> <tr class="story-table-odd-row"><td>North Shore</td><td>847</td><td>1,169</td><td>2,016</td><td>42.1%</td></tr> <tr class="story-table-even-row"><td>Palmetto General</td><td>959</td><td>1,046</td><td>2,005</td><td>47.8%</td></tr> <tr class="story-table-odd-row"><td>Homestead</td><td>758</td><td>764</td><td>1,522</td><td>49.8%</td></tr> <tr class="story-table-even-row"><td style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Jackson Memorial</td><td style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">2,786</td><td style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">2,738</td><td style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">5,524</td><td style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">50.4%</td></tr> <tr class="story-table-odd-row"><td>Jackson North</td><td>626</td><td>1,078</td><td>1,704</td><td>36.7%</td></tr> <tr class="story-table-even-row"><td>Jackson South</td><td>504</td><td>968</td><td>1,472</td><td>34.2%</td></tr> <tr class="story-table-odd-row"><td><strong>TOTAL:</strong></td><td><strong> 15,336</strong></td><td>14,633</td><td>29,969</td><td style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">51.2%</td></tr> <tr class="story-table-odd-row"><td colspan="5"><br /></td></tr> <tr class="story-table-even-row"><td><strong>BROWARD</strong></td><td><strong>C-Section</strong></td><td><strong> Vaginal</strong></td><td><strong> Total</strong></td><td><strong> C-Sec %</strong></td></tr> <tr class="story-table-odd-row"><td>Plantation General</td><td>1,544</td><td>1,710</td><td>3,254</td><td>47.4%</td></tr> <tr class="story-table-even-row"><td>Northwest Medical</td><td>745</td><td>1,110</td><td>1,855</td><td>40.2%</td></tr> <tr class="story-table-odd-row"><td style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Holy Cross</td><td style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">625</td><td style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">586</td><td style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">1,211</td><td style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">51.6%</td></tr> <tr class="story-table-even-row"><td>Memorial Regional</td><td>1,733</td><td>2,420</td><td>4,153</td><td>41.7%</td></tr> <tr class="story-table-odd-row"><td>Memorial West</td><td>1,947</td><td>2,811</td><td>4,758</td><td>40.9%</td></tr> <tr class="story-table-even-row"><td>Memorial Miramar</td><td>1,413</td><td>1,579</td><td>2,992</td><td>47.2%</td></tr> <tr class="story-table-odd-row"><td>Broward General</td><td>1,479</td><td>2,071</td><td>3,550</td><td>41.6%</td></tr> <tr class="story-table-even-row"><td>Coral Springs</td><td>837</td><td>1,377</td><td>2,214</td><td>37.8%</td></tr> <tr class="story-table-odd-row"><td><strong>TOTAL:</strong></td><td><strong> 10,323</strong></td><td>13,664</td><td>23,987</td><td>43.0%</td></tr> <tr class="story-table-odd-row"><td colspan="5"><br /></td></tr> <tr class="story-table-even-row"><td><strong>MONROE</strong></td><td><strong>C-Section</strong></td><td><strong> Vaginal</strong></td><td><strong> Total</strong></td><td><strong> C-Sec %</strong></td></tr> <tr class="story-table-odd-row"><td>Lower Keys</td><td>190</td><td>338</td><td>528</td><td>35.9%</td></tr> <tr class="story-table-odd-row"><td colspan="5"><br /></td></tr> <tr class="story-table-even-row"><td><strong>TOTAL SOUTH FLORIDA</strong></td><td><strong> 25,849</strong></td><td>28,635</td><td>54,484</td><td style="font-weight: bold;">47.4%</td></tr></tbody></table><span class="fullpost"><br /><br />So much for Healthy People 2010!<br /><br />Pregnant women and their supporters should be terrified--but not terrified to the brink of paralysis. Radical activism is needed to turn this situation around.<br /><br />South Florida and Miami in particular has a large community of midwives. The medical establishment continues to reject them and their supporters even though OBGYN providers have been decreasing in numbers.<br /><br />Interestingly, nearly one year ago, Miami Dade College shut down the only non-nurse direct entry midwifery program at the undergraduate college level in the United States (see previous posts on this site)*. This program lead to Certified Professional Midwife certification (CPM--which is gaining legal authority nationally). The students in the program were allowed to continue, but those that were accepted for that fall, were left out to dry.<br /><br />Those prospective students, midwives, and friends rallied and wrote letters to legislators, media, and organizations, garnering international support. However <span style="font-weight: bold;">Miami Dade College President Eduardo Padron</span>, and the <span style="font-weight: bold;">8 Board Members</span> only had excuses and weren’t interested in any of the solutions that were offered. Even the fact about the C-section and infant mortality rates being abysmal and the fact that <span style="font-weight: bold;">Governor Charlie Crist</span> had signed onto measures to combat this–nothing was offered to the students or to support the program. Not one single glimmer of hope.<br /><br />And now look.<br /><br />More interestingly is that <a href="http://jenniejoseph.com/">Jennie Joseph</a>, owner of <a href="http://www.thebirthplace.org/">The Birth Place</a> in the Winter Garden area of Orlando, FL, has been successfully attending pregnant women for quite some time. And NOW, drum-roll please…<a href="http://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/health/orl-midwife-program-052009,0,1491472.story">a Certified Nurse-Midwife pilot practice</a> in the area has been implemented to copy her results–-which is great because we want results, but no credit is given to awesome CPMs like Jennie. This isn't a special interest, this is a lifetime commitment and part of the uplifting of a community.<br /><br />The <a href="http://mdcmidwives.blogspot.com/2008/10/midwife-debate-lingers-on.html">CNM-CPM</a> and medical establishment debate continues….while women and babies are dying.<br /><br />They know what to do in Florida, they just aren’t doing it. It’s really that simple.<br /><br />It has been obvious that the medical establishment is not going to simply acquiesce in the face of opposition. They think they are doing great service with pregnant women existing as commodities to feed the machine.<br /><br />Think about it: So long as there are women who are getting pregnant, who are taught to fear their bodies and who are ignorant of its natural processes, there will be a group of those who claim superior knowledge, to whom we give power and thus render ourselves as objects of gross malfeasance and continuous exploitation and experimentation.<br /><br />As Sojourner Truth said,<br /><br /><blockquote>“If women want any rights more than they's got, why don't they just take them, and not be talking about it.” </blockquote><br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"> *Let me distinguish this from SUNY Downstate's non-nurse direct-entry midwifery program at the graduate level, leading to ACNM certification in which Certified Midwives (CM) can only practice in three states</span></span>Rjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580925465853642953noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6936879525606407697.post-16308932153727861032008-12-21T12:51:00.003-05:002008-12-21T13:14:01.822-05:00In An American HospitalI was doing a search on Thandie Newton (<span style="font-style:italic;">not realizing that she was the one who once played Dr. Carter's wife on <span style="font-style:italic;">ER</span> several years ago</span>) when I came across the following clip. Watch <span style="font-weight:bold;">the first 2 minutes</span> and listen to the references to birth:<span class="fullpost"><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/0LipICmemcE&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/0LipICmemcE&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object> </span>Rjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580925465853642953noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6936879525606407697.post-78996307119067225802008-10-11T10:30:00.005-04:002008-12-11T17:49:14.902-05:00$11 Million for Nursing <br />According to the <a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/living/story/716516.html">Miami Herald</a>, the Wolfson Foundation donated $11 million to Miami Dade College for nursing to combat the shortage.<br /><br />$11 million?<br /><br />$11 million!<br /><br />$11 million.<span class="fullpost"><br /><br />Also, according to an op ed article that I read in the same newspaper, the writer accuses the Herald of <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">burying</span> this news within the print edition.<br /><br />Hmmm. I wonder why they didn't want everyone to know?<br /><br />I think that it is great!<br /><br />Why hasn't anyone stepped forward to donate so grandly to midwifery? Women are not going to stop giving birth. Obstetricians aren't increasing in number. Labor and deliver nurses...are only nurses--not practitioners.<br /><br />Yes, I feel a little slighted.<br /><br /></span>Rjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580925465853642953noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6936879525606407697.post-91806796555691203882008-10-11T10:15:00.006-04:002008-12-11T17:41:34.018-05:00The Midwife Debate Lingers On<div><br /></div>Sorry folks. I have been gone for awhile because I am working on so many projects--including picking up my life after Miami Dade College dropped me face down on the ground and rolled over me.<br /><br />The midwifery fight still continues..and I am not just referring to with MDC but also nationally. Apparently, today concludes <span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.acnm.org/midwifery_week.cfm">National Midwifery Week</a> </span>(October 5-11). I'm sorry to have missed it but I was completely unaware until 5 minutes ago.<span class="fullpost"> <br /><br />The problem is that National Midwifery Week really didn't have anything to do with direct-entry midwives.<br /><br />How do I know this?<br /><br />Because the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) lumped midwives that are not certified by them, meaning midwives that are not CNMs or CMs, as <span style="font-style: italic;">"other."</span> Please check out <a href="http://www.mymidwife.org/nurse_midwife.cfm">this link</a>.<div><br /></div><div>So, I guess CPMs and LMs shouldn't be celebrating...LOL.</div><br /><br /></span>Rjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580925465853642953noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6936879525606407697.post-35900085939731266372008-08-26T10:00:00.023-04:002008-10-11T10:49:38.342-04:00Things You Can Do to Help<div><br /></div>The following is a list of things that you can do to help us stop the Miami Dade College Direct-Entry Midwifery Program from permanently closing:<br /><br /><big><span style="font-weight:bold;">Attend the Rally at 10 am, Wednesday, August 27, 2008, at the <a href="http://www.mdc.edu/main/campus_finder/pages/wolfson.asp">Wolfson Campus</a>!</span></big><span class="fullpost"> <br /><br /><big>Contact the <a href="http://www.mdc.edu/main/about/college_president.asp">Miami Dade College President</a>:</big><br /><br />Eduardo Padron<br />Office of the President<br />300 N.E. Second Avenue<br />Miami, Florida 33132-2297<br /><br />305-237-3316<br /><br /><a href="mailto:epadron@mdc.edu">epadron@mdc.edu</a><br /><br /><big>Contact the <a href="http://www.flgov.com/contact_form">Governor of Florida</a>:</big><br /><br />Office of Governor Charlie Crist<br />State of Florida<br />PL-05 The Capitol<br />Tallahassee, FL 32399-0001<br /><br />Citizen Services Hotline: (850) 488-4441<br />Fax: (850) 487-0801<br /><br /><a href="mailto:Charlie.Crist@MyFlorida.com">Charlie.Crist@MyFlorida.com</a><br /><br /><big>Leave a <a href="https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=6936879525606407697&postID=4768520763043052870">Comment of Support</a> on this site, educate yourself by reading the articles in the sidebar, and stayed tuned on Miami Dade College Midwives.</big><br /><br /><big><a href="http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/mdcmidwifery/index.html"><br /></a></big><center><big><a href="http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/mdcmidwifery/index.html"><span style="font-weight:bold;">Sign our petition!</span></a></big><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/mdcmidwifery/index.html"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tsaPX6B590c/SLQeeIz201I/AAAAAAAAAC4/lv7M8taHSC8/s400/Picture+20.png" border="2" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238845769648624466" /></a></center><br /><br /><br /></span>Rjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580925465853642953noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6936879525606407697.post-20345617237375507392008-08-25T00:00:00.003-04:002008-12-11T17:43:52.712-05:00STUDENTS CONTINUE TO FIGHT THE CLOSURE OF MIAMI DADE COLLEGE'S MIDWIFERY PROGRAM<div><br /></div>IN LIGHT OF UNFAIR TREATMENT, MIAMI DADE COLLEGE STUDENTS & SUPPORTERS PLAN SIT IN <br /><br /> MIAMI, FL (August 24, 2008) – Despite strong opposition expressed by students, mothers, midwives and concerned members of the community, Miami Dade College has closed the Midwifery Program. Students have called and written the College President, Dr. Eduardo Padron to request reconsideration and a meeting with the College Board of Trustees yet Dr. Padron has refused to meet with them.<span class="fullpost"><br /><br />The students are now planning a <span style="font-weight: bold;">Rally to Save the Midwifery Program on Monday August 25th at 10:00a.m.</span> The rally will be held at the office of the President on the MDC Wolfson Campus, 300 N.E. 2nd Ave, Suite 1401 on the fourth floor of Building #1 Miami, FL 33132.<br /><br />The Miami Dade College Midwifery Students and their supporters will descend on the Wolfson Campus to demand a meeting and reconsideration for the program. We urge concerned members of the community to join us.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Closing of the Program</span><br />On Friday, August 8, the College held a meeting to reimburse the 20 students who had paid for tuition and fees, and to discuss other educational opportunities that the College offers. At that meeting, members of the public showed up to express their disappointment and dissatisfaction, not only with the closure of the program, but also with the unfair treatment of the students, who were required to pay all tuition and fees a month prior to the rest of the student body.<br /><br />The College claims tough economic times have caused them to close programs with low enrollment and high costs. However, Midwifery is the first and only one out of over 200 degree-granting programs offered at Miami-Dade College to be eliminated as a result of those cuts. Also, the cut took place even though Miami Dade College has reported higher than expected overall enrollment rates for the Fall.<br /><br />Midwifery students, who had been accepted in May were devastated by the sudden cancellation of the program. Some students had relocated to South Florida, and many had already taken out loans to cover tuition costs. "Miami Dade College doesn't seem to appreciate the important roll midwives play. We fill an important need by providing affordable and accessible health care to at risk communities. As a public education institution, they have failed this community. I am outraged that Dr. Padron won't even address our concerns.” said student Melissa Chin Casey.<br /><br />MDC's accredited Direct-Entry Midwifery Program, one out of only 10 in the country, was the first and only to be offered at a public institution, offering students a more affordable option compared to the programs offered at private colleges and universities. For example, completing the program at MDC would cost about $10,000 while at other schools, it would be upwards of $20,000. Since it's inception in 1994, over 80 midwives have been trained and graduated from the program.<br /><br />“With MDC gone, the future health-care demands of our already under served community can't be met. How will midwives be licensed without this accredited program?” said Jarene Fleming, a midwifery consumer. “With the alarming rate of infant mortality and the growing racial health disparities in the State of Florida, it is foolish to eliminate the one program best suited to train more health professionals to address this crisis.”<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Midwifery in Florida</span><br /> According to the latest Florida Medical Quality Assurance annual report, there are 115 active licensed midwives practicing in the state. About 11 percent of births are estimated to be attended by midwives, rather than by obstetrician/gynecologists, and the Florida Council of Licensed Midwives reported that births attended by Licensed Midwives in the state grew by 5.5% from 2005 to 2006. According to the same report by the Florida Council of Licensed Midwives, midwives had a cesarean section rate of 6.3 percent (compared to a 36.64 percent statewide average in hospitals the same year). Miami Dade College is a public institution and has an obligation to the public it serves. To take away this program is to take away one of the only affordable opportunities in this country for women to become Licensed Midwives through an accredited program. <br /><br />Media Contact: Jarene Williams 305.609.8502 or Melissa Casey 305.305.6927</span>Rjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580925465853642953noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6936879525606407697.post-10367155000834154632008-08-23T17:00:00.005-04:002008-12-11T17:45:55.552-05:00Midwife Education in the South Decreasing while Black Infant Deaths Increasing<div><br /></div>Miami Dade College, the largest institute of higher learning in the U.S., closes its midwifery program, citing economic distress. The students and community protest, citing Governor Crist’s Black Infant Health Initiative (BIHI).<span class="fullpost"><br /><br />MIAMI, FL. (August 23, 2008) -- The prevailing economic climate is forcing colleges like <a href="http://www.mdc.edu/">Miami Dade College</a> in Miami, Florida, to eliminate programs. On August 1, the direct-entry midwifery program received the ax, leaving current and prospective students destitute.<br /><br />Those students organized a rally, on August 8, to protest the closing of the program at a meeting the College scheduled as “informational.” The College officials vowed to return their money and directed the students to pursue vocational options within its Medical Center Campus.<br /><br />Abandoned and enraged students contacted their officials, ranging from the <a href="http://www.mdc.edu/main/about/administration/">College Board of Trustees</a> and <a href="http://www.mdc.edu/main/about/administration/college_president.asp">President Eduardo Padrón</a>, to Florida legislators <a href="http://www.flsenate.gov/Legislators/index.cfm?Members=View+Page&District_Num_Link=033&Submenu=1&Tab=legislators&chamber=Senate&CFID=100974644&CFTOKEN=12553759">Sen. Frederica Wilson</a> and <a href="http://www.flsenate.gov/Legislators/index.cfm?Members=View+Page&District_Num_Link=039&Submenu=1&Tab=legislators&chamber=Senate&CFID=100974644&CFTOKEN=12553759">Sen. Larcenia Bullard</a>, and members of the <a href="http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Committees/committeesdetail.aspx?CommitteeId=2348">Healthcare Council</a>. The ultimate goal was to gather the voices of citizens concerned with the rising infant mortality among African-Americans, and to use that leverage to garner support for midwifery.<br /><br />According to the Florida Department of Health, Black infants in Miami-Dade County are more than twice as likely to die as those born to White mothers. This ratio is evident across socioeconomic factors and is not limited to that county. The problem is so increasingly widespread that one year ago Governor Crist signed House Bill 1269, the <a href="http://www.hscmd.org/bihpi.asp">Black Infant Health Initiative (BIHI)</a>, “to develop strategies to address the disparity.”<br /><br />Medicaid pays for half of all births in Florida at a time when there are less obstetric providers due to rising malpractice insurance. Maternal care provided by midwives cost half of the care provided by hospital physicians. Midwives, particularly the students of Miami Dade College, are better able to reach the communities affected by the disparities because they represent those same populations--women of color.<br /><br />But this may be the same old story. America has a history of disenfranchising black women in the teaching and health care professions, beginning in the 1920s and reaching an acme amidst the Civil Rights Era. Strangely enough, Miami Dade College was a progressive model serving as the first integrated college in Florida during that era.<br /><br />Miami Dade College is not the only accredited institution in the South that has cut its midwifery program. The <a href="http://www.musc.edu/nursing/academics/masters/index.htm">Medical University of South Carolina</a> and the University of Miami just closed its nurse-midwifery programs. And the University of South Florida closed its program in 2003, leaving the <a href="http://www.nursing.ufl.edu/prospective/prospective_msn_nurse_midwifery.shtml?ID=57">University of Florida</a> in Gainesville, and <a href="http://www.nursing.emory.edu/nursing/admissions/msn/nmwa.shtml">Emory University</a> in Atlanta. One direct-entry program remains--<a href="http://www.midwiferyschool.org/">The Florida School of Traditional Midwifery</a> in Gainesville.<br /><br />Although the prospective Miami Dade College midwifery students may be feeling demoralized, they move forward in the fight to keep their program and to save the lives of babies in Florida. The students continue to organize and prepare for what may be a repeat of the lunch counter sit-in at Woolworth--a movement revisited.</span>Rjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580925465853642953noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6936879525606407697.post-81819905572911791092008-08-12T08:45:00.004-04:002008-12-11T17:47:03.323-05:00Miami Dade College Offering Students A Cold Shoulder<div><br /></div>This was written by the Miami-Dade College Medical Center Campus President, addressed to the would-be midwifery students of the fall 2008 class:<span class="fullpost"><br /><br /><blockquote>...the Fall 2008 Midwifery Program class was contingent upon a minimum of 25 academically eligible students having fully paid tuition and malpractice insurance by August 1, 2008. Unfortunately, these conditions were not met. As a result, there will be no new Midwifery Program students enrolled and no first year Midwifery courses offered beginning August 27, 2008.</blockquote><br /><br />This was sent to the students on August 5. The College held an informational meeting for the students on August 8 to help them determine their "next steps."<br /><br />Anger and tears were exchanged in what was held as a "rally," by the students. Other community supporters were in attendance, such as mothers, faculty/staff, and the local newspaper.<br /><br />The Vice President of the College offered the students the option of pursing one of the 7 vocational programs, or the degree-granting program of opticianry that is available at the Medical Center Campus.<br /><br />Thus the Midwifery Program was officially closed, permanently, citing economic distress and low-enrollment. The College's website has even been updated to reflect a "<a href="http://www.mdc.edu/medical/AHT/midwifery/description.asp">suspended</a>" status for the program; other midwifery links are broken. And classes have been pulled from the schedule database.<br /><br />This midwifery program has been closed at least two other times in the past. Classes do not begin until August 27. There are 25 students, with 3/4 having paid the overestimated $3000 malpractice insurance. In a last ditch effort, students are scrambling, and assembling to write their legislators, and the Board of Trustees, whom the students were told has the final say.<br /><br />If you've ever had a dream, that you worked hard for and could almost taste the glory, please support these students and contact the <a href="http://www.mdc.edu/main/about/administration/">Board</a> and other officials in Miami-Dade County.<br /><br />Thank you.</span>Rjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580925465853642953noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6936879525606407697.post-47685207630430528702008-08-11T07:30:00.027-04:002008-12-11T17:48:15.157-05:00Miami Dade College Letter<div><br /></div>Dear Board of Trustees:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.mdc.edu/" target="_blank">Miami Dade College</a> (MDC) was the only institute of higher education to offer <a href="http://www.mdc.edu/medical/academic_programs/midwifery/midwifery.htm" target="_blank">direct-entry midwifery</a> at the undergraduate level. In a historical context, MDC has always been a pioneer, beginning when it opened its doors during the heightened Civil Right’s Era of the 1960s. It was the first integrated junior college in Florida, founded on the idea that “anyone with a desire to get a college degree should be given that opportunity.”<br /><br />The question has been posed as to whether or not a public institution should offer a heavily politicized and potentially litigative field such as midwifery? Our answer must be in the affirmative. If Florida is to be recognized as a state committed to ensuring equal access to healthcare (options) and improving maternity outcomes, and Miami Dade College is to exemplify the standards and continue to be regarded as a leading, innovative institution of higher learning, the Midwifery Program must main intact.<br /><br />It is the <a href="http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=Ch0467/titl0467.htm&StatuteYear=2008&Title=%2D%3E2008%2D%3EChapter%20467" target="_blank">legislative declaration in Florida</a> for a “person to have the freedom to choose the manner, cost, and setting for giving birth.” Furthermore, it is recognized that “access to prenatal care and delivery services is limited by the inadequate number of providers of such services and that the regulated practice of midwifery may help reduce this shortage.” However, even though Florida Legislature set a goal to “intend midwives to be the care providers for 50% of all normal, healthy pregnant women <a href="http://www.doh.state.fl.us/Mqa/midwifery/info_Art_Science.pdf" target="_blank">by the year 2000</a>,” we continue to fall short of this achievement. As of 2007, there were only <a href="http://www.doh.state.fl.us/mqa/Publications/06-07mqa-ar.pdf" target="_blank">115 licensed midwives</a> in this state.<br /><br />We must ask the question, <span style="font-style: italic;">Why is midwifery so important and how does it concern Florida</span>? Let me provide a glimpse of the current status of maternity care:<span class="fullpost"><br /><br /><blockquote>As of the 2008 estimates in <a href="https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2091rank.html" target="_blank">The World Factbook</a> by the CIA, the United States ranks 42nd on the infant mortality list. With 6.3 deaths per 1000 live births, the U.S. trails behind Canada and most of Europe. Yet, we have the most technologically advanced and medicalized healthcare system in the world. According to the Department of Health, infant mortality is often considered the primary indicator that reflects the health of a nation due to its association with a variety of factors such as maternal health, quality and access to medical care, socioeconomic conditions and public health practices.<br /><br />In 2004, maternity care in Florida’s hospitals cost $2.1 billion. Florida Medicaid pays for half of all maternity care received in our State. Our rate of <a href="http://www.floridahealthfinder.gov/researchers/documents/cesarean2006.pdf" target="_blank">caesarian sections</a> is one-third of all deliveries, which accounts for $1 billion of the expenditures. Of the ten hospitals with the highest cesarean rates, six are located in Miami-Dade County; thus, at 43.6%, Miami-Dade County had the highest cesarean rate of any region.<br /><br />Hispanic and African-American women have the worst birth outcomes (as evidenced by <a href="http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Bills/billsdetail.aspx?BillId=36071&" target="_blank">SB 2120/HB 1269</a>). African-American women are the most likely to receive no prenatal care, while teenagers are not likely to receive timely care. In addition, Miami-Dade County teens ages 15-19 rate significantly higher in repeat births.<br /><br />Pregnant women are afflicted by intimate partner violence in a disproportionate amount. The Center for Disease Control found that pregnant women are 60.6% more likely to be victims than women who are not pregnant. The prevailing HIV cases steadily rising in women are likely to aggravate the <a href="http://www.womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/3697" target="_blank">gender violence</a>. Florida ranks second in the nation for reported <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/surveillance/basic.htm" target="_blank">HIV</a> cases.<br /><br />As malpractice insurance costs rise, obstetricians are fleeing their practices leaving pregnant women with perceived fewer options for safe, effective healthcare. Low-income patients are thrust into overcrowded health departments which provide them with little sense of individuality and importance. Routine appointments become devalued and socioeconomic factors hinder progress.<br /><br /><a href="http://cfmidwifery.org/mmoc/define.aspx" target="_blank">Midwives</a> step in to provide low-cost maternity care to low-risk women. Patients are afforded breastfeeding support, nutrition counseling, reproductive education, and continuity of care. The prevalence of nosocomial infections is not a concern in non-hospital births--neither are the long-term effects of medical interventions such as analgesics and labor-inducing drugs--as they are not utilized by midwives. Women are empowered through midwifery as they learn to take control of their bodies.</blockquote><br /><br />The Miami Dade College Midwifery Program students were informed earlier this summer that we had to pay our malpractice insurance upfront. Mistakenly, we believed that financial aid would cover this expense. However the $3000 required of us was due by August 1; and even if we secured private students loans the loans could not be initiated because we are not students of the program until the insurance is paid and we are subsequently enrolled in classes. We are not aware of any other program within the College that has this stipulation.<br /><br />Midwifery is a calling. To offer us the option of furthering our education through the pursuit of vocational programs or Opticianry (August 8th “next steps” meeting) is an insult. We have not worked for years on our prerequisites, squeezed out money and time, and relocated our families for our College to disregard the hardships that have now been imposed on us. Midwifery is ablaze in our hearts and spitting in the fire does not extinguish it. We prepared for it and it is our only option.<br /><br />The Midwifery Program students represent the marginalized communities that we will return to serve, without prejudice and with compassion and a unique understanding of the multidimensional needs affecting the areas of the inner-city, rural, migrant, and Native-American reservations. In addition, we are privy to knowledge outside of the academic research arena because we have a vested interest in elevating the status of the people that we represent.<br /><br />We do not want to attend school out of state. Florida is replete with resources and the solutions we need to accomplish our goals. With a profound cultural atmosphere, Miami Dade College can be an international health model, lending experiences of inter-cultural activities and dynamics, within the borders of the continental United States.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.mdc.edu/main/about/facts_in_brief.asp" target="_blank">Miami Dade College</a> continues to dominate the educational industry as the largest college in the United States. It awards the most associate degrees in the nation to minorities, among whom the majority are women and non-traditional students. Many students are economically disadvantaged and first generation college attendees. We are those students and we deserve a fair chance.<br /><br />If Florida International University (FIU) can implement a new medical program, which, as reported in the <a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/news/top-stories/story/631962.html" target="_blank">Miami Herald</a>, is a 28 million-dollar public funding commitment, surely Miami Dade College can enlist the support of the community to keep the Midwifery Program in place. The total cost of in-state tuition for a midwifery student is below $5K.<br /><br />Midwifery must remain in a public institution of higher learning in Florida, not to discredit private educational establishments, but to bring Midwifery to the forefront of alleviating Florida's problems, and the nation's problems. This permits the study of midwifery to involve academics, with the potential for on-going research, at the university level, among scholars; and we want to align ourselves as practitioners to be a part of that study.<br /><br />Enlisting and mobilizing prospective and current midwives will help alleviate the disparities in maternal care and fetal outcomes; additionally, it can augment the services already offered by other agencies. Midwifery is only political and litigative insofar as it advances the rights of women as competent health care practitioners and as wholly-informed patients.<br /><br />Our fight will continue. Your options are to act as an obstacle to the future of midwifery in Florida, or to facilitate this matter and allow us to begin our fall 2008 class on August 27. I hope that you will choose the latter.</span>Rjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580925465853642953noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6936879525606407697.post-15953399944300988002008-08-02T09:30:00.002-04:002008-12-11T17:48:58.658-05:00Miami Dade College Suspends Midwifery ProgramThis should be a sad day for women as the only institution of higher education in the U.S. that offers direct-entry midwifery education, closes the program for supposed financial reasons.<span class="fullpost"><br /><br />As of the 2008 estimates in <a href="https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2091rank.html">The World Factbook</a> by the CIA, the United States ranks 42nd on the infant mortality list. With 6.3 deaths per 1000 live births, the U.S. trails behind Canada and most of Europe. Yet, we have the most "modern" and medicalized healthcare system in the world.<br /><br />One in three births in the U.S. are by Cesarian section with an increasing maternal mortality rate as well. As OBGYNs are fleeing their obstetric practices due to rising malpractice costs and the threat of litigation, pregnant women have had decreased options for safe and effective maternal care.<br /><br /><a href="http://cfmidwifery.org/mmoc/define.aspx">Midwives</a> step in and provide low cost care to healthy, low-risk pregnant women. There are minimal interventions and care can be coordinated with obstetricians in order to provide the most effective care for high-risk women.<br /><br />A key to remember is that doctors are trained to identify and treat pathology. In most cases, pregnancy is not a state of ill-health or disease. Women have been giving birth since the dawn of time, assisted by other women, midwives.<br /><br />Please, ladies, gentlemen, if you care about the increasing infant mortality rate, increasing c-sections, and a woman's right to choose a safe alternative for maternity care, stand up and say something about this.</span>Rjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580925465853642953noreply@blogger.com