Community-based nurse midwifery will now be provided to medically underserved areas of Wayne County through an innovative agreement between the Wayne State University Physician Group Midwifery Program and Detroit Wayne County Health Authority. The program, scheduled to begin on Dec. 1, 2014, will be housed under the newly developed Authority Health Professional Services Corporation.

Under terms of the agreement, four certified nurse midwives will provide comprehensive maternal wellness services, including prenatal, labor and delivery, gynecologic, and postpartum care. They will contact pregnant and parenting women about the availability of Medicaid services, including referral to family planning and well-baby programs and services. Key outcomes for this program include:

• Improved pregnancy outcomes and reduced health care costs
• Reduced infant mortality rate for African American women in Detroit and Wayne County
• Sustainable, high quality, highly collaborative model of antenatal, intra-partum, and post-partum care that will be replicable in other high risk areas of the country
• Increased awareness of Medicaid services among eligible or potentially eligible people in the community.

Nurse midwives will be assigned initially to Advantage Health Center. The program is expected to grow and complement the Nurse-Family Partnership home visitation program that serves first-time pregnant women. The Health Authority plans to hire two additional midwives.

“This agreement is a significant breakthrough in our efforts to have an impact on infant mortality through high quality, community-based maternal services,” said Chris Allen, CEO of the Health Authority. “We believe that the midwifery program, in concert with our Nurse-Family Partnership, will create a much-needed boost in maternal health for Detroit, and eventually throughout Wayne County.

“Wayne State University initiated nurse midwifery to the area and remains a leading provider of nurse midwifery care. We will support efforts by our community health centers to reach pregnant women with midwifery services.”

The Health Authority sponsors community-based maternal care services, including the Detroit Nurse-Family Partnership, which serves low-income, first-time mothers. The Nurse-Family Partnership, a national program with proven success with pregnancy outcomes and family development among low income populations, will formally be introduced to maternal and child health leaders.

The Detroit Wayne County Health Authority is a public body corporate, which strengthens the public health infrastructure in Wayne County and promotes population health. Infant mortality, and related maternal health, is one of the critical indicators of health status, according to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation County Rankings.

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