UMSN’s Dr. Lisa Kane Low Launches Plenary Sessions at International Conference
“‘Women are not dying because of diseases we cannot treat. They are dying because societies have yet to make the decision that their lives are worth saving.’”
Nearly 4,000 midwives from more than 100 countries converged at the International Confederation of Midwives Triennial Congress, held the first week of June 2014 in Prague, Czech Republic.
Lisa Kane Low, PhD, CNM, FACNM, an associate professor and a program coordinator of nurse midwifery education at the University of Michigan School of Nursing, was the first plenary speaker of the conference. Her session, “Access: Bridging the Gap to Improving Care and Outcomes for Women and Families,” called for more attention on addressing health care inequalities and access to care for women and families.
Dr. Kane Low stated: “We know that access to quality midwifery care is a consistent challenge. Health is more than just access; social conditions and education are important too. Midwives are a critical part of increasing access to care and promoting reproductive health globally. Ensuring every woman has access to a midwife is a way of tackling inequalities in health; they are avoidable.”Dr. Kane Low encouraged health care leaders to focus on applying technology already in use to new areas of care. She promoted the long-term, sustainable relationships of midwives and women in communities. She stressed that midwives can be mobile and meet women where they need care, which can be a valuable tool in implementing and sustaining a community-based approach to care. She also quoted Dr. Mahmoud Fathalla, a medical professor in Cairo: "Women are not dying because of diseases we cannot treat. They are dying because societies have yet to make the decision that their lives are worth saving."
Several other nurse-midfwife faculty from UMSN are presenting their research and other work at the conference, as well as one DNP student.
Globally, 116 midwives associations are part of the International Confederation of Midwives. These associations represent more than 300,000 midwives in 102 countries across all continents. ICM's stated vision is "a world where every childbearing woman has access to a midwife's care for herself and her newborn.”
Globally, 116 midwives associations are part of the International Confederation of Midwives. These associations represent more than 300,000 midwives in 102 countries across all continents. ICM's stated vision is "a world where every childbearing woman has access to a midwife's care for herself and her newborn.”
