with April Campbell, Certified Nurse-Midwife
The United States is facing a critical moment in maternal health.
Nearly 20% of Florida counties are considered "maternity care deserts," without hospitals or birth centers with obstetric services. As a result, about 10% of Florida women live more than 30 minutes from a birthing hospital and prenatal care is limited, at best.
“Expanding access to high quality, evidence-based care is essential,” says April Campbell, a Certified Nurse-Midwife with Sarasota Memorial’s First Physicians Group.
Midwifery, she says, is a key part of the solution. Midwives can be the ones to fill those gaps, Campbell says, and address the challenge from both directions, not only expanding access to prenatal education and maternity care but also supporting natural birth when appropriate and reducing unnecessary interventions.
“Globally, health systems that integrate midwives more fully into maternity care consistently demonstrate better outcomes at lower cost,” she says. “This represents a meaningful opportunity to improve maternal health.”
And as the demand for maternity care continues to grow, she says, it will be midwives who play an increasingly important role in addressing provider shortages and ensuring that all patients have access to respectful maternity care.
“Strengthening and expanding the midwifery workforce is not just an investment in a profession,” Campbell says. “It’s an investment in the health and wellbeing of our families and communities.”
What Is Midwifery?
Midwifery is a trained medical specialty centered on providing comprehensive and compassionate care to women and their families throughout the entire pregnancy journey, from prenatal care and education to postpartum health. Midwifery prioritizes patient safety and family-centered decision-making, while encouraging and facilitating natural birth.
Midwives are trained to care for low to moderate risk patients independently, while collaborating closely with physicians and specialists when high risk care is necessary. This model of care prioritizes patient education and individualized support, key components in improving maternal health outcomes.
Midwifery at Sarasota Memorial Hospital
At Sarasota Memorial, midwives play an integral role in maternity care across both hospital and community settings.
This includes:
What Kind of Training Does an SMH Midwife Have?
At Sarasota Memorial, all midwives are Certified Nurse-Midwives (CNMs). These are registered nurses who have complete additional graduate level midwifery education (Master’s or Doctoral degree) and are nationally certified and licensed in all 50 states.
CNMs provide full scope care, including prenatal, labor and birth, postpartum, and gynecologic services, both independently and, for high-risk pregnancies, in collaboration with physicians.
- Five full-time (+3 per diem) hospitalist Certified Nurse-Midwives, who provide 24/7 care for patients during labor, birth, and the immediate postpartum period, working collaboratively with obstetricians, nurses, and the broader healthcare team to ensure safe, high-quality care.
- Seven Certified Nurse-Midwives who not only attend births but provide both prenatal and postpartum care in outpatient settings, offering continuity of care for their patients throughout pregnancy and beyond.
- Community-based Certified Nurse-Midwives who provide outpatient-only midwifery care, including prenatal and GYN care.
- A Certified Nurse-Midwife on-staff at Sarasota Memorial’s new Pregnancy and Wellness Center on Clark Road, established to fulfill the needs of women in Sarasota County.
In addition, Certified Nurse-Midwives play an important role as part of the community’s social safety net, providing necessary care and education to any pregnant woman entering the hospital.
Written by Sarasota Memorial copywriter Philip Lederer, MA, who crafts a variety of external communications for the healthcare system. SMH’s in-house wordsmith, Lederer earned his Master’s degree in Public Administration and Political Philosophy from Morehead State University, Ky.