Government Relations

The current emphasis on comprehensive health care reform has created more opportunities than ever for ACNM to work to improve access to quality maternity and primary care services and enhance the visibility of midwives in the U.S. 

As part of this process, ACNM has put a high priority on being actively engaged in all levels of the federal executive and legislative branches, as well as actively participating on interorganizational coalitions, Institute of Medicine collaboratives, and more when these activities meet our organization's strategic goals and support our policy agenda.  Read ACNM's welcome letter to President Barack Obama; read about ACNM's participation in a White House Office of Health Reform forum on primary care, and in a September event hosted by First Lady Michelle Obama urging support for health reform that benefits women and their families. 

In-depth information about ACNM'sfederal and state government relations initiatives is available by clicking on the links below:

• Federal Legislative Resource Center (or go straight to ACNM's Health Care Reform site)
• Federal Regulatory Resource Center
• State Legislative and Regulatory Information
• Home Birth Resources for Payers and Policy Makers
• Take Action!!! Speak Out For Midwifery: Visit our online grassroots advocacy tool for writing letters to members of Congress, state legislators, and the media.
• Midwives-PAC -- support a strong voice for midwifery in our nation's capital!
• ACNM Government Affairs Committee (GAC) - Visit us to find your GAC representative and Affiliate/Legislative Contact.

Other Advocacy Initiatives

• AMA Scope of Practice Resolution
• ACNM Responds to Recent AMA Resolutions 
• ACNM Response to ACOG's Out of Hospital Birth Statement
• ACNM's Work With Other Organizations
• ACNM and the APRN Consensus Model
• ACNM's decision to join ANA as an organizational affiliate
• AARP Issued a Policy Supplement on ARNPs’ Scope of Practice, Which Included Nurse-Midwives    *For the past two years, ACNM has been a coalition member with AARP’s Center to Champion Nursing in America, and has been working closely with other organizations to educate AARP about the barriers that limit the ability of CNMs and others from practicing to the fullest extent of their properly recognized scope of practice. We discussed several specific areas in which AARP could be helpful, and a new policy statement was one of them.
  
  
  
• Until December 2008 ACNM published The Advocate, a monthly online government relations newsletter. Now, ACNM advocacy communications are integrated into all ACNM communications.