Support access to midwifery care
If access to midwifery care and choice of care provider are important to you, I invite you to write a letter regarding the way that the Transfer Payment Agency is requiring that Village Midwifery justify accepting clients outside their catchment area. This is an urgent matter that affects women’s right to choice of care provider, and could potentially limit access to midwifery care if the current policy is not changed. We ask that letters be written by January 31st to policy makers and care-providers: the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care; LHIN (the Local Health Integration Network who plan, integrate and fund local health services); the Transfer Payment Agency; the Association of Ontario Midiwves; the College of Midwives of Ontario; and to midwifery practices in the surrounding area.
You can also sign the petition to the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long term Care, requesting that catchment areas not be used to limit access to care.
Here are the details:
Village Midwifery had their catchment area (zone where they can practice and promote their services) restricted, to rural outlying areas, with a very low population density (mostly cottagers); the practice is not allowed to promote themselves outside of their designated practice area. While other practices in Ontario have women cross practice zones to see a care provider, the Ministry of Health is now insisting that women must seek special permission from the Ministry if they do not live in Village Midwifery’s practice zone, and want their services.
- we pay taxes, which cover health care throughout the province, and should be able to access care wherever we feel is best for us / our babies
- the ministry is not requiring other practices to request permission for transfers to care providers outside a practice’s practice zone area (i.e. – women can get an OB wherever, and usually not a problem with midwifery practices)
- practice zones should be a tool for ensuring adequate coverage, not limiting access to choice in care provider
- limiting the area which Village Midwifery can serve makes the practice unsustainable, due to the public not being able to access their care; losing the practice will limits women’s access to midwifery care in general, and to their choice of care provider
- this is important, because not all care providers are the same, and it is important for women to be able to choose the care provider that she feels will best meet her and her baby’s needs
- access to midwifery care; choice of care provider, and the ability to access care wherever we choose
- Village Midwifery to have the ability to provide service to women outside their designated practice zone, without requiring special permission; allow for a change of practice zone, so that the practices zones can overlap
- Ministry to change the contract, so that the issue of practice zone is one of ensuring coverage, not limiting access to care.
As well, there is a petition to the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long term Care, requesting that catchment areas not be used to limit access to care: http://www.change.org/en-CA/
I encourage you to share this information with others, and to write a letter or sign the petition in support of women access midwifery care.