Make CPMs part of disaster plan

To the editor:Women and infants are disproportionately and adversely affected by disasters. Missouri women generally expect to give birth in hospitals. Ninety-nine percent of births occur there. In the case of pandemic flu, hospitals may not be safe for pregnant women and infants.

Certified professional midwives are trained to work in homes and other out-of-hospital settings. Yet their statistics are as good or even better than those of doctors working in hospitals with the same risk population. In the event of a disaster, women could expect excellent birth outcomes by calling a midwife to their homes. These midwives are astute in out-of-hospital births with limited technology. They are highly educated in the natural process of birth and in discerning the physiological needs of mother and newborn.

In February 2006, the National Working Group for Women and Infant Needs in Emergencies was formed to ensure that the health care needs of pregnant women, new mothers and infants are adequately met during and after disaster situations. Access to out-of-hospital maternity care by CPMs fits with this mission.

Certified professional midwives should be part of Missouri's disaster preparedness plan. Experienced, community-based certified professional midwives are scattered across Missouri. But because of our current laws, CPMs are not eligible for licenses, but rather are criminalized because of an archaic law. CPMs are licensed in the majority of other states, and many already include them in their emergency disaster plan. I urge all Missouri policymakers to ensure pregnant and birthing women and their newborns are safely cared for when the next disaster strikes.

DEBORAH SMITHEY, Stockton, Mo.