Midwives support Liberal's Ontario Action Plan For Health Care

TORONTO, Jan. 31, 2012 /CNW/ - Ontario midwives support the Liberals' Action Plan to transform the health care system, as unveiled Monday morning by Deb Matthews, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. The Action Plan, which is designed to promote better health care for Ontario families at the lowest possible cost, promises "the right care, at the right time, in the right place."

"Delivering health care to families where and when they need it is aligned with the way Ontario midwives practice," says Katrina Kilroy, registered midwife and president of the Association of Ontario Midwives. "Midwives are keen to become partners in promoting a system which places the health-care consumer at the centre, with a focus on health promotion, evidenced-based medicine, and practitioners working to their full scope."

The Action Plan promises to deliver "care as close to home as possible," in order to ensure that patients receive high-quality care in the most appropriate place, which may be outside of a hospital in a community setting. "Midwives currently offer a choice of birth place, at home or in hospital, and would like to be able to offer a further community-based option in the form of birth centres," says Kilroy.

Midwives in the province are currently campaigning for improvements to the midwifery system in Ontario, including the establishment of midwifery-led birth centres. The Action Plan promises to find new ways to provide excellent care in the community, so that resources are available in hospital for patients who really need them. "Giving birth is the main reason Ontario women are hospitalized, yet there is no medical reason to be hospitalized for a healthy labour and delivery," says Kilroy. Birth centres in the province would lead to reductions in health care spending costs by keeping healthy women out of hospital and promoting births with fewer interventions.

About Midwifery in Ontario
There are more than 550 registered midwives in Ontario, serving communities in 90 clinics across the province. Midwives have privileges at most Ontario hospitals. Since midwifery became a regulated health profession in 1994, almost 130,000 babies have been born under midwifery care, including almost 30,000 births at home.

A midwife is a registered health care professional who provides primary care to women with low-risk pregnancies. Midwives provide care throughout pregnancy, labour and birth and provide care to both mother and baby during the first six weeks following the birth.

The Association of Ontario Midwives is the professional organization representing midwives and the profession of midwifery in Ontario.

For more information about AOM, visit our website at www.aom.on.ca You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter (Facebook.com/OntarioMidwives; Twitter.com/OntarioMidwives).

For more information, or to set up interviews with midwives, please contact:
Catharine Tunnacliffe, Acting Manager, Communications

[email protected]  Tel: [phone] x2261