I am a Certified Midwife that resides in Virginia. I have lived here since 2007 and obtained my Master of Science in Midwifery while living in Virginia. I was trained by Certified Nurse Midwives licensed in Virginia and by military Certified Nurse Midwives on a military installation. I have served in various leadership positions within ACNM; I am an adjunct professor for doctoral midwifery students and am currently a board member of the American Midwifery Certification Board, the certifying body for both Certified Nurse Midwives and Certified Midwives.

 

Though I live in Virginia, I am licensed in New York, where Certified Midwives and Certified Nurse Midwives are viewed as equivalent and receive the same state licensure as licensed midwives. Though I was trained by and educated alongside Certified Nurse Midwives, I have had to fly to New York to practice. 

 

Enacting these regulations increases access to valuable care, improving health equity. This is significant as areas of the Commonwealth are limited in the number of reproductive health care clinicians. These regulations will increase the maternal and reproductive health workforce and provide Virginians with care that has been shown to reduce interventions and cost with great outcomes. 

 

It has been a long journey to get to this point in time where Certified Midwife regulations are drafted in Virginia. I am so excited that Virginia has chosen to invest in midwifery in this way. I ask that the proposed regulations are enacted without delay so I and other midwives like myself can help meet the needs of our state to improve outcomes.