Fall 2009 - Association of Ontario Midwives

Key Maternity Care IssuesLocum programunderway for rural andremote practicesJasmin Tecson, RM, cares for client Anita Craig in hospital with her husband Scott Craig. Consumer and practitioner inputcan shape LHIN decisions, such as regional maternity care planning.Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs)Approximately 10 Ontario midwives are currently involved in their Local HealthIntegrated Network (LHIN) through committees, such as the Health Care ProfessionalAdvisory committee. The AOM encourages all midwives to build relationships withand take part in their LHINs to ensure midwives’ voices are heard. LHINs are influencedon a local level by local communities and local providers. By being involved, midwivescan work to ensure that there is a strong plan and resources in place for maternal andnewborn health.Add your voice:• Most LHINs are in the midst of developing service plans for the next three yearsand will be holding service plan meetings with community members and health careproviders to receive input on the planning process. This is an important way midwivescan help make maternity care a priority in the province. To find out how to take part inyour local LHIN service plan meeting, visit your local LHIN website or join the AOM-LHINlistserve (see below).• The Rural and Northern Health Care Panel established this spring to investigatehospital closures in these areas will be presenting its report and recommendations tothe government this winter and is looking for input from midwives. Further details onhow members can take part will be circulated when available.• With a provincial mandate requiring hospitals to balance their budgets, many hospitalsacross the province are facing closure or cuts to services, including maternity units. TheAOM is monitoring any recommended closures and working with local practices thatmay be affected. If you are being affected by cuts or closures, please contact the AOM.To get more information on LHIN activities and committees, contactpolicycoordinator@aom.on.ca.Receiving LHIN updatesThe AOM continues to inform midwives about LHINs through the listserve. If you wish tosign up to the listserve, contact: policycoordinator@aom.on.ca.Please ensure that at least one midwife from your practice is registered on the listserve.The AOM is pleased to announcethat the new Rural and RemoteLocum Program is now underway.To date, five practices haverequested locum relief and a poolof midwives who are availableand interested in doing locumsfor rural and remote practices hasbeen created.All expenses related to providinglocum relief (such as travel andlodgings) will be paid, and insome cases top up payments willbe provided to cover clinical carecosts.Maggie Fioravanti, who retiredfrom the St. Jacobs Midwivespractice last fall, is one of sevenmidwives who has signed up tobe in the pool.Several years ago, Fioravanti didsomething similar to a locumwhen she teamed up with RoyceEntwistle of the Family MidwiferyCare practice in Guelph to standin for Wendy Peterson of theKenora Midwives practice.Peterson, the only midwife at herpractice at the time, had not beenable to take time off in years.“We loved it,” said Fioravanti ofthe experience providing prenataland postpartum care during theirtime in Kenora.She also admits somewhatselfish reasons behind joining thelocums program: “I was hoping tosee some of Northern Ontario, tobe honest,” she laughs.Rural and remote practices inneed of a locum should contactpolicy@aom.on.ca.Any midwife interested in joiningthe pool of available locums candownload the application fromthe AOM website at:www.aom.on.ca/AOM/Career_Opportunities/Registered_Midwives.aspxwww.aom.on.ca07