INITIATIVES/COLLABORATIONS

Urban Perinatal Education Center (UPEC) is partnering with the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) Department of Maternal Child Health to establish a community-based midwifery workforce in RI and improve perinatal outcomes in the State of Rhode Island.

The mission of the Urban Perinatal Education Center is to create a space for perinatal equity through three lenses: culturally congruent care and community, supporting equity in care, and building a workforce for change. Through the Maternal Health Innovation grant UPEC is implementing the Certified Professional Midwifery (CPM) Initiative alongside other maternal health projects with RIDOH. The collaborative development plans to promote a culturally competent midwifery program with a focus on attracting a more diverse student body will serve to provide concordant care to people of reproductive age in Rhode Island, as midwives of color are uniquely positioned to address the economic, political, and social determinants of health that impact people of color.

The RI Certified Professional Midwifery Equity Initiative addresses the disparaging data on Black and BIPOC maternal health birth outcomes in the state of Rhode Island. The efforts of the Urban Perinatal Education Center are intentionally centered in equity promotion for health care and in support of the implementation of a culturally concordant and congruent CPM workforce.

This program (or equity initiative) is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of the State Maternal Health Innovation grant awarded to the Rhode Island Department of Health and the Urban Perinatal Education Center.

Rhode Island Dept of Health licenses three professions of Midwifery. The Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM), Certified Midwife (CM), and the Certified Professional Midwife/Licensed Midwife (LM). The CNM and CM are trained to work in hospital based setting. The CPM/LM is exclusively trained to work in community/home based setting and birth center settings. This initiative will advance and expand the CPM/LM workforce to address both RIDOH and RI EOHHS priorities. 

UPEC will work collaboratively with Commonsense School of Midwifery (CCSM) to create a RI cohort that will be educated through a hybrid educational model. Through CCSM, the three-year midwifery student completes 832.5 classroom clock hours, 55.5 credits; 135 lab clock hours, 4.5 credits and 1350 externship clock hours, 30 credits during which time the student will complete the observation of 25 clients in the intrapartum period and the managed care of 50 clients in each of the prenatal, intrapartum, and postpartum periods, and 50 newborn exams. After completing CCSM requirements, students will be awarded Certificate of Midwifery. This is an intentional strategic three year investment. 

About the Initiative

The RI Certified Professional Midwifery (CPM) Equity Initiative (EI) addresses the disparaging data on Black and BIPOC maternal health birth outcomes in the state of Rhode Island. The efforts of the Urban Perinatal Education Center are intentionally centered in equity promotion for health care and in support of the implementation of a culturally concordant and congruent CPM workforce.

This program (or equity initiative) is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of the State Maternal Health Innovation grant awarded to the Rhode Island Department of Health and the Urban Perinatal Education Center.