On September 20, 2024, Grow Midwives, LLC, in collaboration with the KU Medical Center Area Health Education Center, will host the inaugural "U.S. Maternity Care at the Crossroads" symposium in Kansas. Led by Ginger Breedlove, CEO of Grow Midwives and a respected authority in midwifery, this important event aims to address critical issues in U.S. maternity care. 

A Crisis in Maternity Care 

Over the last two decades, the United States has lagged behind other high-income countries in health outcomes for women and childbearing families. The situation is dire, with an exhausted and shrinking health care workforce, significant inequities in care and increasing budget pressures threatening the sustainability of maternity care in many communities. 

Recent evidence from Maternal Mortality Review Committees in 36 states—including Kansas— paints a stark picture. Key issues include poorly managed prenatal and postpartum conditions, domestic violence, mental health challenges and alarming rates of morbidity and mortality among childbearing women, particularly among minority groups. As the health care landscape shifts, the women's health care workforce is experiencing both a decrease in the supply of obstetricians and gynecologists and an increase in other providers, such as certified nurse-midwives and women's health nurse practitioners. 

Symposium Objectives 

This symposium will offer a unique opportunity for participants to explore solutions to these pressing challenges. Attendees will learn to: 

• Describe issues impacting health outcomes of childbearing women and families using the Institute of Medicine’s quintuple aim framework. 

• List strategies for building highly functional health care teams and implementing compliant billing and coding practices. 

• Identify and address workforce burnout. 

• Identify concepts in health care business valuation. 

• Apply principles of negotiation to difficult conversations. 

• Identify risk reduction strategies for an expanding APP provider workforce. 

Distinguished Speakers 

The event will feature a lineup of esteemed speakers, each bringing a wealth of knowledge and experience to the discussion: 

• Dr. John Yeast, MFM, and Denise Fryzelka, Ph.D., CNM – Designing sustainable collaborative relationships. 

• Arden Schwenker, CCP, CBCS, and Daphne McKenzie, CPB – Top challenges related to billing, coding and compliance. 

• Lesley Rathbun, CNM, MSN, and Neil Heyside – Assessing health care business valuation. 

• Joseph Booth, Atty, and Ginger Breedlove, Ph.D., CNM – Applying game theory in critical conversations. 

• Dr. Neel Shah, M.D. – Designing the future of maternity care. 

• Julie Brightwell, RN – Risk reduction for advanced practice providers. 

• Lonnie Morris, DNP, CNM, and Rita Ledbetter, CNM, MSN – Listening to Legends: The Good, Bad and Ugly. 

A Nation-Wide Gathering 

Participants from 30 states, including the District of Columbia, will converge on Kansas for this event. Attendees will not only gain valuable insights into the future of maternity care but will also have the chance to network with peers and leaders in the field. 

About Grow Midwives 

Grow Midwives® was founded by two of the most influential leaders in the midwifery profession: Ginger Breedlove, a past president of the American College of Nurse-Midwives, and Lesley Rathbun, a past president of the American Association of Birth Centers. Their goal is to advance midwifery and expand practice settings by leveraging their decades of experience and expertise. The team also includes Joseph Booth, a legal and scholarly expert on U.S. midwifery, and Arden Schwenker, who brings a depth of knowledge in finance and compliance unique to midwifery-led care. 

Join Us 

We invite all health care professionals, midwives and stakeholders in the field of maternity care to join us for this pivotal event. Together, we can forge a new path forward in maternity care, ensuring healthier outcomes for women and their families.