Midwives address lack of equity in health care

Conference looks at issues of diversity and improving health equity

TORONTO, April 27 /CNW/ -

    
    WHAT: The 26th Annual Conference of the Association of Ontario Midwives
    will focus on improving health equity in maternal and newborn care.

    WHO: More than 100 attendees will gather for three days to discuss the
    latest information and research on maternal and newborn health.

    WHAT: Session topics include centralization of health care, breech birth,
    child and family poverty in Ontario and caring for pregnant teens.

    WHEN: May 4-6, 2010

    WHERE: Crowne Plaza Hotel-Fallsview, Niagara Falls, Ontario
    

"The theme of this conference not only reflects the diversity among the women we care for, but our commitment to providing excellent, safe care for all women in Ontario," said Katrina Kilroy, President of the AOM.

Media Highlights:

Tuesday, May 4

Bridget Lynch, RM, President of the International Confederation of Midwives, will be speaking at the opening ceremonies on the eve of the International Day of the Midwife. Lynch recently returned from Haiti where she worked with both new mothers and the Haitian government to strengthen maternal health in the region. Lynch also spearheaded last year's Mothers and Midwives CAMpaign, which ultimately resulted in a unanimous, all-party Canadian Parliamentary resolution dedicated to reducing maternal mortality worldwide.

Wednesday, May 5

Author and McGill University researcher Holly Dressel will discuss centralization and what it means to the Canadian health care system. Dressel's book, Who Killed the Queen? The Story of a Community Hospital and How to Fix Health Care explores the closure of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Montreal in the context of mass hospital closures that took place across Canada in the mid 1990s.

Thursday, May 6

Angela Roberts, director of Equity and Community Engagement at Women's College Hospital in Toronto and winner of the YWCA Woman of Distinction Award, will provide the closing keynote address exploring equity in the health care system.

About Midwifery in Ontario

There are close to 500 Registered Midwives in Ontario, serving communities in 72 clinics across the province. Midwives have privileges at most Ontario hospitals. Midwives have been regulated by the province since 1994.

A midwife is a registered health care professional who provides primary care to women with low-risk pregnancies. Midwives provide care throughout pregnancy, labour and birth and provide care to both mother and baby during the first six weeks following the birth. The Association of Ontario Midwives is the professional organization representing midwives and the profession of midwifery in Ontario.

Members of the media are invited to attend.

For further information: or to register, please contact: Joanna Zuk, Senior Communications Officer, Association of Ontario Midwives, Tel: [phone] x2261, Cell: [phone], [email protected]