A local midwife feels a recent investment in provincial dollars into expanding midwife services shows just how important their services are.
Eileen Abbey is with the Maternity Care Midwives and says the $28 million funding values their contributions as midwives.
“Obviously, we are very happy that midwives are being valued in this way,” she notes, “And not just being valued, but the importance of us being pivotal in improving outcomes for pregnancies.”
Abbey is also the chief of the midwifery department at Thunder Bay Regional Health Science Center.
The province is promising to support up to 90 new midwife grads as they enter the field.
Monday’s announcement also promised the province would increase access to culturally appropriate midwifery care by expanding Indigenous midwifery programs.
Abbey notes that’s also a goal of her group, adding that supporting midwifery is especially important in the Northwest because of the vast distances between communities.
It’s also meant to help midwifery practice groups can keep providing good services by updating their technology.
Funding for the Thunder Bay area is as follows:
- Community Midwives of Thunder Bay – $150,400
- Maternity Care Midwives – $41,900
- NorWest CHC – $1,100
