Our Work
PICBM advances policy and systems change to expand access to community-based midwifery and improve outcomes for all birthing families - especially those impacted by health inequities and lack of access.
We focus our efforts in three strategic areas:
Policy & Advocacy
We work with federal and state leaders to advance legislation, secure funding, and integrate midwifery into public health strategies.
Recent state examples include:
Collaboration with midwives in Puerto Rico to draft legislation to license midwives in the territory
Technical assistance to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to support implementation of the 2024 law to license Certified Professional Midwives
NH initiative that doubled Medicaid reimbursement for CPM services and tripled Medicaid payment for birth center facility fees
Support to Minnesota CPMs to modify an existing statute to secure access to a formulary of medications and devices for midwifery practice
Workforce Expansion
We champion efforts to recruit, support, and fund a representative midwifery workforce that reflects the communities it serves.
Recent federal and national examples include:
On-going collaboration with national midwifery organizations to educate Congress on the urgency of establishing permanent streams of funding for midwifery education for all nationally credentialed midwives in the U.S.
Helped secure first ever federal funding specifically for midwifery education, working with Congressional champions to fund midwifery education through the federal Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students Program
Partnered with Bastyr University to double midwifery students of color from 30% to 60%, economically disadvantaged from 25% to 50%, over 5 years
Engaged a premier DC grants consulting and government relations firm to develop strategies to protect and sustain Title VII funding for direct-entry midwifery education
Coalition Building
We convene coalitions, support state advocates, and serve as a policy and research resource to advance midwifery across the U.S.
What we’re working on:
Along with a maternal health crisis, the U.S. faces a worsening shortage of midwives. Title VII funding for disadvantaged students has been one of the most effective tools for expanding and diversifying the direct-entry community-based midwifery workforce. Yet this essential funding is now under threat.
PICBM has completed initial steps to convene host the Midwifery Education Policy Network (MEPN), a coalition of accredited schools and programs that educate direct-entry midwives, associated associations, and national birth center organizations to work with an experienced federal health policy advisor to secure and expand Title VII funding for direct-entry midwifery education