ESW 2023 year in review
Date: February 20, 2024
Midwives are required to have specialized skills and training to deal with emergencies that occur outside the hospital and in the hospital setting. The AOM’s Emergency Skills Workshop (ESW) is a comprehensive, high-quality, College of Midwives of Ontario-certified course, designed and taught by mid…
Black History Month: Uniting in solidarity to confront injustice and inequity (2024)
Date: February 7, 2024
As we honour Black History Month, it is imperative to reflect on the current state of society and midwifery's role in advancing racial justice and human rights. Recent events have highlighted a dangerous regression in our collective efforts to combat anti-Black racism and promote diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, particularly in workplaces and educational institutions. We are witnessing challenges to DEI initiatives, with some labeling them as discriminatory. Black people rising to success continue to face extraordinary tests and attempts to shame them.
A successful morning at Queen's Park: MPPs and midwives connect over breakfast
Date: November 1, 2023
Pictured above: Midwives Elizabeth Brandeis and Manavi Handa use a doll to demonstrate to MPP Chris Glover how midwives weigh babies at routine postpartum visits at the Queen's Park event on October 26. On Oct. 26, 2023 the AOM hosted a breakfast event at Queen’s Park, bringing together Member…
Valuing midwives: Providing care to the most vulnerable
Date: October 25, 2023
This month, as part of the Valuing Midwives Campaign, midwife Simone Rosenberg met with her local Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP), Peter Tabuns. She and her midwife colleague Christie Lockhart also hosted Stephanie Bowman MPP at the Midwives Clinic of East York - Don Mills, introducing her to clients who spoke highly of their experiences with midwives at the practice group. These meetings gave Simone an opportunity to discuss the role midwives play in providing care, including to pregnant people without health insurance. Midwives Clinic of East York provides care to over 700 pregnant people and their families each year. Of those, about 10% are people without health insurance. The May 2023 Health Network for Uninsured Clients (HNUC) conservatively estimates there are currently upwards of 500 000 people living in Ontario without health insurance.
Ontarians recognize the value of midwives to clients, families and the health-care system
Date: October 10, 2023
In Ontario, midwives bring value to the health system. Last year, 26 000 families received midwifery care, accounting for 20% of all births in the province. Midwives bring value to the health system in many ways, including by providing care in the community, so hospital resources are available for those who need them most. But it’s not only the greater health system that benefits from midwifery. Clients and their families across Ontario deeply value midwifery care. The AOM spoke to clients from across the province to hear from them directly about what they value about midwifery.
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation 2023
Date: September 27, 2023
September 30 marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a national public holiday to honour the Indigenous survivors of residential schools, their families and communities, as well as the many children whose lives were lost at these notorious institutions. Declared in 2021, this national day of commemoration coincides with Orange Shirt Day and responds to Call 80 of the 94 Calls to Action intended to ensure the history of residential schools remains a vital component of the reconciliation process.
Ontario midwives deliver essential paramedic training in childbirth emergencies
Date: September 14, 2023
Media release Toronto: Midwives are training paramedics across the province in childbirth emergencies to support safe out-of-hospital care for pregnant people when birth is imminent or urgent medical care is required prior to hospital transport. Midwives are the only regulated health-care professionals in Ontario who are specifically trained to attend births outside of the hospital, underscoring the invaluable role that midwives play in facilitating this subset of paramedic training.
The accomplishments of funding midwife-led research in Ontario
Date: June 28, 2023
Midwife-led research is crucial to expanding and improving midwifery practice for midwives, midwifery clients and their families. Since 2017, the AOM has provided access to funds for midwife-led research initiatives in Ontario through the AOM Midwifery Research Grant Program. Since launching the…
Decolonizing health care by engaging with the TRC Calls to Action
Date: June 21, 2023
June 21 is Indigenous People's Day. This is a time for First Nation, Inuit and Métis communities to come together and celebrate the diversity and profound beauty of their cultures. This is also a time for settler Canadians to reflect on their role in decolonizing the health-care systems in which th…
Celebrating National Indigenous History Month: Steps for settler midwives to meaningfully engage with reconciliation work
Date: May 31, 2023
June is marked as National Indigenous History Month. This is a time to celebrate Indigenous peoples’ rich cultures and diversity; to confront and commemorate the ongoing experiences of Indigenous peoples on Turtle Island; and to meaningfully engage in reconciliation work. The AOM supports the Indig…