Maternal health care is a complex field in New Mexico. Modern health care meets culturally congruent practices in a system where nurse-midwives treat patients alongside traditional birthworkers.
A new grant awarded to The University of New Mexico College of Nursing aims to increase alignment between these two expansive disciplines, resulting in respect and collaboration between these fields.
UNM’s Nurse-Midwifery program faculty member, Felina Ortiz, DNP, RN, CNM, FACNM, has been awarded funding from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to create and support an equitable pathway for birthworkers in New Mexico through peer support, training opportunities, and mentorship. This grant has two main objectives; on one hand it will complement the College’s latest award aimed to support nurse-midwifery education: the AMOR grant. On the other it will bring awareness to the complexity of birthwork in New Mexico and develop collaboration between nurse-midwives and birthworkers in practices, ideologies and resources.
“This grant will help nurse-midwives, midwifery educators and even the public be more inclusive in our activities to New Mexico’s birthworkers. Birthwork encompasses anyone working with maternal child health; a very expansive scope that is – in many of this state’s communities - influenced by significant cultural practices.”
Ortiz says, “this grant will help nurse-midwives and midwifery educators be more inclusive in our activities to New Mexico’s birthworkers. Birthwork encompasses anyone working with maternal child health, including but not limited to, doulas, lactation consultants, midwives, pre-med students with an interest in obstetrical care and other students who want to become home-visiting, newborn, labor and delivery, and/or postpartum nurses; a very expansive scope that is – in many of this state’s communities influenced by significant and longstanding cultural practices.”
To accomplish this, Ortiz will orchestrate a community mentorship program matching approximately 75 people – mentors and mentees – in any form of birthwork, with the goal of integrating cross-collaborative practices between nurse-midwifery and the various specialties of birthwork.
Additionally, the funding totals $200,000 a year over two years and is accompanied by a new, monthly Project ECHO (UNM’s telehealth program) effort that will foster the collaboration between these two health care communities.
“The College’s Nurse-Midwifery program is seeing a lot of growth that will result in a diversification of the nurse-midwifery workforce. But we want that workforce to be able to practice culturally congruent care for New Mexico’s diverse communities. Birthworkers from Indigenous, Hispanic and Latinx communities of the area will be able to elevate our students’ knowledge, skills and ability to care.” Ortiz continues, “I very much appreciate the opportunity to support maternal child health, to help support the growing diversity within midwifery’s workforce – all for the sake of maternal child health in New Mexico.”
If you are interested in becoming a birthworker or are a birthworker interested in mentoring others, please complete this Smartsheet.