The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared 2020 “The Year of the Nurse and the Midwife” (YNM) in an international effort to draw attention to the growing need for the health professionals “who devote their lives to caring for mothers and children, giving lifesaving immunizations and health advice, looking after older people and generally meeting everyday essential health needs.”
WHO, which directs and coordinates international health within the United Nations system, is calling upon healthcare organizations and institutions to join its yearlong campaign. In response, the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) and its affiliate, the Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education (ACME), have announced 14 activities for 2020 YNM, including reaching out to high school students, celebrating the role of male nurse-midwives and developing initiatives to increase diversity and address maternal health inequities.
In its 2019 Midwifery Education Trends Report, ACNM/ACME points out that U.S. maternal mortality rates are higher than in many other developed countries and have been rising. From 1991 to 2014, the U.S. mortality rate more than doubled from 10.3 per 100,00 live births to 23.8.
The report also notes significant ethnic disparities among maternal mortality
rates, adding that non-Hispanic Black women experience maternal deaths at a rate three to four times higher than that of non-Hispanic White women. In addition, Hispanic, American Indian and Alaska Native women are two to three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than non-Hispanic White women, according to the report.
“America has poor outcomes for the amount of money we spend on maternal healthcare, and we have a crisis on our hands with a shortage of maternal healthcare providers,” ACME executive director Heather Maurer tells Diverse. “We have women in our country who have no maternal healthcare provider, who are not getting prenatal care, not screened and some are on the verge of serious health concerns that could be prevented or treated with proper maternal healthcare. We know midwifery care is an effective solution with great outcomes and client satisfaction.”
Maurer suggests that addressing the need for diversity in both midwifery education and practice is a key part of her organization’s strategies for the future.
