Welcome to the summer installment of the Foundation Communication, where we report all things Foundation! In our feature, you’ll find all of the latest news regarding AABC Foundation scholarships, grants, awardees, fundraising campaigns, and more.
Grants
Congratulations to Tree of Life Family Birth Center who have been awarded an Accreditation Support Grant! The Tree of Life Family Birth Center is located in Jeffersonville, IN and will be opening later this year. Tree of Life will be the only birth center serving the “Kentuckiana” area, where they’ve been providing full-scope midwifery care for the last 20 years. When asked why they want to become CABC accredited, Elizabeth Quinkert, RN, CNM, and founder of the birth center said “we strive to become accredited in order to assure our community that we are providing the highest level of care, to be accountable for our practice, and to ensure that we are providing the best care possible to our clients.” Well said, Elizabeth! Interested in accrediting your birth center, or need some financial assistance to renew your accreditation? Visit the AABCFoundation.org website to see if you’re eligible and apply.
Five birth centers were recently awarded Membership Grants. Congratulations to Luna Women’s Wellness and Birth Center (Brainerd, MN), Palms Birth House (Delray Beach, FL), Magnolia Birth House (North Miami Beach, FL), Pure Births (Valencia, CA), and Rosemary Birthing Home (Sarasota, FL)! Palms Birth House, Magnolia Birth House, and Pure Births are first-time members that opened their doors in the last few years. Tamara Taitt, the Administrative Director of Magnolia Birth House, shared that “we believe that membership in AABC will provide us with the tools to meet our mission [to reduce local Black infant mortality rates] in a way that is sustainable, not only by ensuring that our facility meets the highest standards, but also by connecting us to other facilities who have successfully implemented the model over the last 30 years.” Inspiring words, Tamara! AABC will do all they can to help you reach your goals and succeed in your vital mission. Learn more about Membership Support Grants on the AABCFoundation.org website.
In February, the Foundation Board awarded Research Grants to three exciting projects, and we’d like to congratulate them and wish them success in their research!
Carrie Neerland, MS, APRN, CNM, FACNM is conducting research on “Confidence for Physiologic Birth in the Birth Center Model of Care” as part of her studies at the University of Minnesota.
Mary Ann Faucher, PhD, MPH, CNM, FACNM and Holly Powell Kennedy, PhD, CNM, FACNM, FAAN are working on “The Use of Video-calls in Early Labor Care: Exploring Postpartum Women's Views of the Potential Benefits and Challenges” at Baylor University.
Sarah Sanders, BA is working on “Understanding of Risk and Safety in Out-of-Hospital Birth” using Concept Mapping as part of her studies as a Master of Public Health candidate at the University of Pittsburgh and her work at The Midwife Center for Birth and Women’s Health.
March for Moms
The AABC Foundation was a partner level sponsor of the March for Moms 2018. The event, held on May 6th, included a national rally in Washington, DC and more than 50 sister marches around the country to bring attention to the essential need for significant focus and funding on maternal health issues. Maternal Mortality rates in the U.S. surpass those of any other industrialized nation with women of color dying at 4 times the rate of white women. One in every three Americans is born through major surgery--twice as many as are medically necessary. At the same time, we have the lowest birth weights, the widest disparities, ad the worst paid family leave policies in the developed world. The AABC Foundation and AABC attended the national event where we promoted the birth center model as a solution to our maternity care crisis.
Fran Schwartz, Barbara Norton, Amber Allen, Jessica Illuzzi, Jackie Griggs, Jill Alliman, and Amy Johnson-Grass display their signs at the rally.
The U.S. Capitol served as a backdrop for the rally's center stage.
Scholarships
The AABC Foundation also awarded a total of five Amy Polk Memorial Scholarships. The Amy Polk Scholarship is awarded in the form of a tuition grant to attend the AABC How to Start a Birth Center Workshop, either online or in-person. Congratulations to Melissa Agro (Yarmouth, ME), Jennifer Hayes (Louisville, KY), Angela Montoya (Eden Prairie, MN), Quatia Osorio (Providence, RI), and Gina Dacosta-Rivera (Morovis, Puerto Rico) on receiving an Amy Polk Scholarship! Each of the applicants is striving to serve women, reduce disparities, and open a birth center in a city, region, state, or territory where there currently are no other birth centers. We eagerly look forward to your success! The AABC Foundation will be accepting applications for the 2019 Amy Polk Scholarship in early 2019.
Currently, the AABC Foundation is accepting applications for the Lisa Ross Memorial Scholarship. The Lisa Ross Memorial Scholarship, named in honor of Lisa Ross, an early pioneer in the development of birth centers, covers the registration fee for the AABC Birth Institute, the annual convention of the American Association of Birth Centers, and includes a ticket to the AABC Foundation Gala and a $500 travel stipend. Since 2004, the AABC Foundation has awarded the scholarship to midwives practicing in birth centers and full-time midwifery students with the desire to work in a birth center. Over the years, the scholarship has helped promising midwives and students find their place and grow in the world of birth centers. The deadline to apply is July 1st, 2018, so visit the AABCFoundation.org website to learn more and apply!
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AABC Strong Start Data Promotion Project
The AABC Foundation's campaign to support the promotion of the AABC Strong Start for Mothers and Newborns data raised $32,763! Thank you for answering our call to help fund the promotion of these excellent outcomes to advance the birth center model of care as a solution to our maternal health crisis, raise awareness and visibility of birth centers, and help more women have access to this effective care for women of all economic backgrounds and education.
The AABC Strong Start for Mothers and Newborns Initiative was a multi-year federal grant awarded to the American Association of Birth Centers in 2013. It studied the birth center model of care as a means to reduce the rate of preterm birth for vulnerable populations. Outcomes have been overwhelmingly positive including lower cesarean rates, higher rates of breastfeeding and higher rates of satisfaction with their care.
In April, the AABC Foundation awarded AABC a grant for $42,763 to use the Strong Start Data to promote the birth center model of care as a solution for health disparities in the U.S.
Fundraising Gala
We cordially invite you to the 2018 Gala to Grow Birth Centers – “Boots & Bling”! This year, the gala will be held at the Worthington Renaissance Hotel in Fort Worth, Texas on October 6th. The gala is a fun and exciting night filled with live music, delicious food, and numerous opportunities to support the AABC Foundation through our silent auction, live auction, and more. You can purchase tickets on the AABC Foundation website or by typing tinyurl.com/2018GalaToGrow into your browser. This event is held in conjunction with the annual AABC Birth Institute; learn more about the conference by visiting AABCBirthInstitute.org.
Not only can you support the Foundation by attending the Gala, we also seek sponsors for the gala each year; so support the AABC Foundation and shine bright like a Diamond! Or a Ruby, Emerald, Sapphire, or Turquoise! Your sponsorship will speak volumes about your commitment to the leading edge of women's maternity care, and help the AABC Foundation's efforts to benefit women and families. Or maybe you have a beautiful vacation home, guest house, or AirBnB that you could donate to our live auction, or a valuable item that you’d like to donate to the silent auction; there are so many ways to support the Foundation and be involved! Just email lindabaysore@aabcfoundation.org to learn more!
The best part? All proceeds benefit the AABC Foundation, supporting research and encouraging the growth of birth centers across the country. The AABC Foundation is the only organization working to further the birth center model of care across America.