About NY Midwives (NYM)
NYM was formed in 2000 as the professional voice of Licensed Midwives in NYS. It is an affiliate of the American College of Nurse-Midwives and its board is made of elected volunteers who are current members. NYM supports midwifery through its many committees and regional representatives. Add your knowledge and expertise to the advancement of midwifery by joining NYM!
Click here to join American College of Nurse-Midwives and NYM.
NYSALM’s History
We incorporated in 2000 as a 501(c)6 professional membership organization with the mission of representing the interests and needs of midwives and the people they serve with a unified voice. Members of the Board serve as volunteers although the organization does employ a legal firm to represent us in the political arena in our state capitol.
We seek to realize our mission and vision through the following actions:
- Increasing the number of midwives from Black, Latinx, and Indigenous communities to create a midwifery workforce that reflects the populations we care for through improved recruitment, addressing barriers in midwifery education, and appropriate mentorship
- Furthering our profession through the promotion of all midwifery, including Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs) and Traditional Birth Attendants
- Creating tangible resources to support midwives in critically engaging with the healthcare and educational systems in which we learn and work so that we have meaningful decision-making power
- Providing resources to support midwives in upholding the bodily autonomy, personal sovereignty, human rights, and dignity of our clients
- Improving consumer access to midwifery care so that there are true options for reproductive and sexual healthcare for all people regardless of race, sexuality, gender identity, religion, physical and mental ability, income/insurance status, geographic location, or any other social identity markers
- Advocating for equitable compensation and reimbursement for the care that midwives provide
- Advancing the midwifery model of care with its focus on respectful care, birth equity, and shared decision making as one that practitioners of all disciplines can employ
- Promoting midwifery research, particularly with populations historically excluded from research and on practices rooted in traditional and ancestral knowledge
- Lobbying for statewide legislative and regulatory changes that promote the objectives listed above
- Collaboratively working with grassroots and community-based movements when determining our legislative priorities and engaging in campaigns and solidarity actions
- Maintaining productive relationships with other healthcare providers, institutions, and organizations, as well as community, nonprofit and activist groups working to address racism and advance human rights to healthcare
- Utilizing clear and open communication strategies where all members are heard and have an equitable seat at the table
- Increasing membership engagement and satisfaction within our organization
Board Members
President
Helena Grant
Co-Vice Presidents
Sherrie Hunter Kelly
Cynthia Lynch
Secretary
Whitney Hall
Treasurer
Danielle Assibu- Gilmore
Regional Representative
open seat
Member at Large
Deborah Mercer-Miller
At Large BILPOC Midwife
Patricia Loftman
Student Representative
Tre Kwon
Region Representatives
New York City
Odessa Fynn
Mid East New York
Jennifer Seymour
Northeast Region
open seat
Western New York
Claire Moynihan
Hudson Valley
open seat
Long Island
open seat
Committees
NYM’s committees allow us to accomplish a wide variety of functions. We are always looking for new members, and you do not need to be a board member to join! Please contact the chair listed on the committee’s page if you are interested in joining.
Communications Committee is responsible for maintaining NYM’s website, updating our social media, circulating information to members and legislators, and monitoring NYM’s phone and email.
Contact: Chair Cynthia Lynch [email protected]
Documents:
The DEIB committee works to bring diversity in midwifery education, discourse, and practice to strengthen and expand the relevance of midwifery in all of society.
Contact: Helena Grant
Documents:
The Finance Committee is responsible for maintaining and examining the finances of NYSALM. The Committee works to determine budgets for committees, special projects, and the organization as a whole, as well as planning fundraising when necessary and long-term financial planning.
Contact: Please contact us if you are seeking the budget itself, the financial audit, or other documents not listed here.
Forms and Documents:
- SROP
- new reimbursement form 2021
- Committee Budgeting Template (.xls)
- Budget Request Form
- Membership Billing SROP
- Audit Suggestions
Policies:
The IMPACT Committee works to promote awareness of NYS midwifery licensure, scope of practice, and education requirements among the NYS healthcare community to help midwives as they pursue employment, privileging, and credentialing. The primary focus of this committee is the education of midwives, midwifery employers, hospital staff and other relevant stakeholders.
Contact: Tahiti Starship [email protected]
Documents of Interest:
Insurance Committee works to facilitate midwives’ relations with insurance providers. This includes identifying a variety of barriers to reimbursement and working to overcome them. The Insurance Committee is also developing a database of New York insurance providers and their policies, midwifery participation, and reimbursement.
Contact: Beth at [email protected]
Documents:
The Legislative Committee works closely with the NYM board to represent licensed midwives in state government. They also organize NYM’s annual Advocacy Day in Albany, when midwives and midwifery allies meet with legislators to lobby for (or against) bills relevant to midwifery and women’s health.
Contact: Co-Chairs Betsy Arnold-Leahy at [email protected] or Sherrie Hunter Kelly at [email protected]
Program Committee schedules and organizes events, meetings, education sessions and social gatherings for NYM. This includes the Annual Meeting, our annual dinner before Lobby Day, and special events.
Contact: Caitlin Legros [email protected]
Quality Assurance Committee works to improve midwifery practice. The Home Birth Integration Initiative published guidelines for homebirth practice in 2015 and in 2020 published guidelines to improve transfers from community birth to hospital.
Contact: Kate Finn [email protected]
Documents:
The Governance and Bylaws Committee (GAB) is responsible for the creation and maintenance of NYM’s bylaws. These bylaws are a set of rules that guide NYM’s operations and activities. GAB supports good governance by promoting the healthy functioning of NYM’s board and committees.
Contact: Susan Pantano [email protected]
The Student and New Midwives Committee (SANMC) is a space for students and new midwives to connect with each other to discuss issues that affect us, to collaborate, and to create a community. Our goal is to create a network for new midwives in NYS.
Contact: Ellie Miller – (917) 816-4498
- 2020 Bylaws
- Certificate of Incorporation
- Complaint Policy (Reviewed September 2017)
- Internal Governance
- 2020 NYSALM county map
- 2020 NYSALM – Community Birth Guidelines
Making Motions to the Board
Is there something you wish could be accomplished on a statewide level that would benefit you, your colleagues, and birthing families in NYS? Put a motion on the floor to be considered and voted on by the Board!
Think of a motion as a research question: what would you like to achieve? Then do a “literature search” to see if there is already a law or regulation that relates to this issue. NY State agencies all have websites that give their prescribed legal function. Your local state senator or assemblyperson has staff that may assist you in learning what already exists regarding your area of interest.
Be constructive about what you would like changed or amended. “I move that NYSALM create an ad hoc committee to consider…”, “I move that NYSALM include in its website information on…” Not every motion results in exciting new legislation, but we start by bringing ideas to the table.
If you are unable to attend the meetings, contact your NYSALM regional representative who will put your motion on the agenda for you. Even if you can’t meet with us, we still need your participation!
All members are also invited to join the Board meetings which take place at least four times per year; please see our calendar for exact dates, times, and locations.
