| Home Births: Special Outreach Event |
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| At Monarch Hotel in Clackamas |
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The Oregon Health Licensing Agency (OHLA) and the Board of Direct Entry Midwifery have scheduled a special outreach event in the Portland area on Saturday, November 7, to address health and safety issues related to home births.
Key topics to be addressed include informed consent, peer review and issues related to mother and baby transport to hospitals under certain conditions specified in state midwifery regulations.
Licensure for midwives is voluntary in Oregon. Approximately 50 individuals are licensed in the state and at least that many are unlicensed. Oregon law requires licensed midwives to obtain education and training and follow health and safety requirements established to protect both mothers and babies.
“We encourage anyone interested in health and safety issues related to home births to attend,” says OHLA Director Randy Everitt. “We want to ensure an open dialogue and thorough discussion on this very important topic.”
The outreach event will be held from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm (with a one-hour break for lunch) at the Monarch Hotel just off Interstate 205 at Sunnyside Road and Sunnybrook Blvd.
For more information, please contact OHLA Policy Analyst Samie Patnode at 503-373-1917 or samie.patnode@state.or.us.
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| Purpose of the Meeting |
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During the September 14, 2009, Board of Direct Entry Midwifery meeting, the board directed the Public Safety & Peer Review Committee to review ongoing issues regarding practice standards and risk assessment criteria.
The purpose of the special outreach event is to allow public comment regarding informed consent, birth outcome reporting particularly involving transport and fetal demise issues, and peer review relating to licensed direct entry midwives (LDM). Public comment will be limited to five minutes per speaker, or comments may be submitted in writing.
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| Questions to Be Considered |
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- Should the board require specific and descriptive informed consent, including expanded consent when home birth is not optimal due to risk factors including, vaginal birth after cesarean, Malpresentation (breech) and multiple gestation?
- What is the best method for initiating and providing the most valuable information to consumers?
- As a consumer, what information would be useful prior to accepting care from a licensed direct entry midwife?
- How can peer review statistics be used more effectively?
- How can peer review statistics be accurately reviewed and assessed?
- What other peer review data should be collected that would be useful in regulating the profession?
- Should LDMs be required to report all transports to OHLA? Why or why not?
- Should LDMs be required to report all fetal demises to OHLA when they are the primary care provider? Why or why not?
- What alternatives can be used to report transports and fetal demises?
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| Public Involvement Encouraged |
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Members of the public are invited and encouraged to be in attendance at all board committee meetings. Persons wishing to comment are asked to register on the sign-in roster prior to the meeting and indicate the agenda topic(s) they wish to discuss. Please wait for the designated chairperson to recognize the public prior to commenting on issues.
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| Special Accomodations |
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Please direct questions or requests to an OHLA board specialist at (503) 373-2049.
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