Each One Reach One: 2009 Membership Drive

We are so excited to announce our 2009 membership drive, 'Each One Reach One!'

We are asking each of our individual and business members to sign up at least one of your friends, your clients, your family members, your neighbors or your colleagues for an annual membership to Florida Friends of Midwives. Let them know what their support means to you and to the future of birth choices in Florida. Let them know that by joining Florida Friends of Midwives, their belief that Floridians should have access to midwifery care has a voice. Let them know that without the voice of Florida Friends of Midwives two decades ago, we would not have the legal right to birth with Licensed Midwives today and they can be a part of that legacy of dedicated women.

Florida Friends of Midwives thanks you for your support and we want to show it! The current Florida Friends of Midwives member who bring us the most new members by Labor Day 2009 will receive your choice of item from our Café Press store, as well as a feature in the next edition of the Florida Friends of Midwives newsletter and on our website.

Thank you for your continued support of Florida Friends of Midwives. Together, we can make a real difference to promote and protect midwifery care in Florida. Please contact us with any questions, suggestions, or concerns, at membership@flmidwifery.org, or toll-free at (800) 925-1014.

Thank you for your continued support!

ChipIn: Contribute to our online fundraiser!

Help us fundraise online!

Our online ChipIn fundraising event for our 2nd Annual Fundraising Campaign is now live and ready to collect money! The key to a successful ChipIn event is getting the word out, so here are a few tips for spreading the word about Florida Friends of Midwives ChipIn to your friends, family and clients:

1. Invite Your Social Network
Send a personal note to those that you want to contribute and tell them about our cause. Then, make sure that they can contribute easily - by posting a widget (tip #2) or creating a ChipIn Page (tip #3).

2. Post a Widget
The ChipIn Widget is a simple application that shows information about your ChipIn on any Web page you place it on. If you have a blog, a social networking profile, or your own Web site, just cut and paste your ChipIn widget code and you can let all of your visitors know about your ChipIn event! To create a widget for our event visit this URL: http://www.chipin.com/mywidgets/id/59b524ca9806356e

3. Visit our ChipIn Page
If you want a quick and easy way to share our ChipIn event, we have our own page at http://flmidwifery.chipin.com/2nd-annual-fundraiser which allows you to let your friends, family, and clients know more about what you are collecting money for and stay up-to-date on your progress..

4. Set a Target Amount that You want to Contribute to our Fundraiser
Although a target amount is optional, people are always more likely to contribute when a goal has been set. Even if you're not sure how much money you'll be able need to raise, we still recommend setting a target amount, as you can always change it later.

5. Ask Friends to Help You Promote
You can get other people to help you promote your ChipIn by asking them to copy your widget and post it on their own web sites. Just give them this URL: http://www.chipin.com/mywidgets/id/59b524ca9806356e

Support Florida Friends of Midwives annual fundraising campaign!

Call for Regional Group Leaders

As the work facing FFOM becomes clearer, the need for committed volunteers is critical. Over the next few weeks, you will see several requests for committee members.

Think about ways in which you can help preserve birth options in our state. Where do your talents lie? What can you contribute?

As Regional Groups Coordinator, I am charged with the task of recruiting at least one Regional Group Leader for each of the 8 regions shown here.Some regions may ultimately be represented by more than one individual, depending of the size/number of metropolitan areas in a region. The following should answer your questions about why these groups will be so important in the work of FFOM.

Why are Regional Groups so important?

Florida is a diverse state, and the characteristics of its population, economy, communities, and environment vary widely from Pensacola to Miami, from Jacksonville to Clearwater. When FFOM was originally founded in 1989, it was made up of several regional friends of midwives groups who all decided to get together so they could become more effective. We'd like to keep that idea alive through the creation of regional groups. Regional groups will provide a local and regional perspective to our work and help us adequately address the issues that impact every region of the state.

What do Regional Groups do?

Regional groups are local groups of parents and professionals who share information, offer support, and protect the rights of women and families to make informed choices within their local community. Regional groups can get together for social and networking functions. We encourage local leaders to hold regular meetings and engage in bigger projects by participating in FFOM's educational, advocacy, and fund raising efforts.

If you are interested in leading a Regional Group in your area or have questions about regional groups, we encourage you to contact us at regions@flmidwifery.org.

Action Alert: Birth Center Reimbursement

Medicaid Birth Center Reimbursement Act Introduced in the Senate

This has been a very busy week week in Washington, DC! In the Senate, U.S. Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Mark Begich (D-AK) introduced S.1423 the Medicaid Birth Center Reimbursement Act to ensure Medicaid birth center facility fee payments to states.

In the House, the health care reform bill H.R. 3200 "America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009" was introduced. This bill includes the birth center bill language but it does not guarantee that all state Medicaid plans will cover the facility fee.

It is CRITICAL that we have strong co-sponsorship for our bills in the House and the Senate. This means that we need YOU and your colleagues, family members, clients and friends to contact your federal Senators and Representatives RIGHT AWAY.

IMPERATIVE ACTIONS

Continue to work in the House and the Senate to secure co-sponsors for our bills (H.R. 2358 and S.1423).

• Call your U.S. Senators and Representatives. Click here for directions on how to contact your Representatives and Senators and what to say. After you have made your calls, please call or email AABC's lobbyist Karen Fennell and tell her who you talked with and any comments or additional information requested. Call Karen at 301-830-3910; Send email here. This report to Karen is important so that she can follow-up.
• Invite your Senators and Representatives to an Open House at your birth center during the August recess (the entire month of August). Invite the media and your clients to come. This is a win-win. The legislators and the birth center will receive positive press. We will develop an "Open House" packet and post it online in a few days for you to adapt for your community.
• Attend the town hall meetings on health care reform that are being held across the country and make your voice heard at those meetings.
  

We MUST be prepared with strong co-sponsorship to move our legislation. Who is already a co-sponsor?

House Bill H.R. 2358
Sponsor: Susan Davis (CA)
Co-Sponsors: Gus Bilirakis (FL), Lois Capps (CA), Robert Whittman (VA), Tammy Baldwin (WI), Sander Levin (MI), Diana DeGette (CO), Eric Massa (NY), and Janice Schakowsky (IL)

Senate Bill S.1423
Sponsor: Barbara Boxer (CA)
Co-Sponsor: Mark Begich (AK)

We need EVERYONE to take action and ensure that our bill is passed as soon as possible!

Sincerely,

Jill Alliman, CNM, MSN
Chair, Legislative Committee
American Association of Birth Centers

Sarasota Fundraiser: Charity Mom and Baby Yoga Class

Rosemary Court Yoga is offering a charity Mom & Baby Yoga class on Tuesday, July 7 from 10-11am. Donations will be accepted & donated to Florida Friends of Midwives.

Mom & Baby Yoga class instructor Kassandra Devlin is offering an energizing and rejuvenating class focusing on mothers' postpartum needs: regaining alignment, toning the pelvic floor, and building core strength. Babies are welcome and can be incorporated in the yoga poses or can nap/play on a mat. Recommended age is pre-crawling.

Please pass this along to your friends and come out and support yourself, support your baby, and support midwives!

Fight Florida's Ban on VBACs in Birthing Centers!

Join the fight to change the State of Florida's ban on Vaginal Births After Cesarean (VBAC) in birthing centers.

Currently the State of Florida's legislative rule governing birth centers is written in a manner which has now been used to restrict women from choosing VBACs with any licensed practitioner in a free standing birth center.


The Florida Alliance of Birth Centers has retained an attorney to challenge the legislative rule banning a woman from attempting a vaginal birth after c-section in a birth center. With c-section rates in some Florida hospitals topping 70%, women's choices are being limited.

PUSH BACK for VBAC's.

Visit the Birthgirlz website for more details and please donate today.

Until midnight tonight, any donation made to this worthy cause will be matched.

An Invitation to Join the Midwives and Mothers in Action (MAMA) Campaign

Come visit our new website at www.mamacampaign.org

• Sign up to be part of the campaign
• Endorse the campaign as an Individual or as an Organization
• Share your birth story
• Donate and volunteer

Please forward this invitation to family and friends.

The goal of the Midwives and Mothers in Action (M.A.M.A.) Campaign is to increase women's access to midwives and to quality, affordable maternity care by securing federal recognition of Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs). The MAMACampaign is a partnership between the National Association of Certified Professional Midwives (NACPM), Midwives Alliance of North America (MANA), Citizens for Midwifery (CfM), International Center for Traditional Childbearing (ICTC), North American Registry of Midwives (NARM), and the Midwifery Education Accreditation Council (MEAC).

Contact Us: info@mamacampaign.org

MAMA Campaign

c/o NACPM
243 Banning Road
Putney VT 05346
or call Citizens for Midwifery's Info line at 888-236-4880