A local midwife organization is looking at the provincial government's announcement of additional funding as a step in the right direction.
On Monday, the Ontario Ministry of Health announced plans to invest an additional $28 million to expand midwifery services across the province.
A spokesperson with the Ministry of Health revealed to Blackburn News that Chatham-Kent will receive a total of $348,000. According to Isabelle Milot, registered midwife and co-owner of Midwives Of Chatham-Kent, the additional funds are welcome news locally.
"Its definitely a very positive step for midwives and for the profession," said Milot. "We're thrilled to see that and I think it reflects a commitment to the growth of midwifery. The announcement made complete sense. It fits very well with the vision that the ministry has for the delivery of care in Ontario as a whole."
According to Milot, the investment is about more than just providing extra funds to midwife services. She believes this announcement is also opening a new chapter in the relationship between midwives and the government, one that has had a rocky history in the past. In 2013, The Association of Ontario Midwives, on behalf of 800 midwives across the province, filed a Human Rights Tribunal complaint against the provincial government alleging that midwives had been the victim of gender-based compensation discrimination. In 2018, the Tribunal found there was sufficient evidence to support a finding of discrimination between 2005-2013 and ordered the government to take steps to close the pay equity gap for midwives.
"Compensation issues, there's still outstanding concerns with the human rights tribunal decision that was issued last year, that hasn't been resolved yet. The College of Midwives lost 100 per cent of their funding this year, so that created an extra burden on midwives. We now have to fund the college in its entirety," explained Milot. "So I'm hoping that with this announcement, that we're seeing a new era of relationship and negotiation."
How the money gets spent will be based on budget approvals. However, Milot said she is hopeful the funds will be able to expand services to women locally and across the province. According to the Association of Ontario Midwives, four out of 10 women who try to get midwifery care are turned away. Milot explained midwife practices are capped at how many women they can accept and said there is currently a "huge" waitlist for the service in Chatham-Kent.
"We can only take so many clients per year," she said. "If you don't call early or if the clinic is full, then you don't have access at all. So there's definitely a need for an investment in the profession so that there are more midwives so that we can meet the demands."
Milot said about 20 - 25 per cent of births in the municipality are done using midwife care, which includes services such as availability to round the clock midwife access, in-depth home visits and care that lasts up to six weeks post-partum.
"Our outcomes are very good, we have a low rate of c-sections, high rate of breastfeeding, low rate of admissions back to the hospital. We do home care," explained Milot. "So it's really a model that's designed with the women at the centre of it."