US MERA is pleased to welcome the International Center for Traditional Childbearing (ICTC) to the US MERA coalition. We are looking forward to working with ICTC representatives at our leadership meeting in April.
US MERA was formed in direct response to the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) Global Standards for Education, Regulation and Association issued in 2011 as complements to the ICM Definition of a Midwife and the ICM Essential Competencies for Basic Midwifery Practice. Our organizations’ understanding and endorsement of the ICM standards and the global vision for midwifery inspired us to come together to ensure the alignment of U.S. midwifery with these standards to strengthen midwifery in our country. Our ultimate goal is to ensure a highly qualified midwifery workforce that will increase access to midwifery care and improve the health of women, infants and families in our country. We are pleased that ICTC is in support of the Global Standards and is committed to working with US MERA to promote national certification, licensing and accredited education for midwives in the U.S., consistent with ICM standards. We are grateful for ICTC’s passionate commitment to eliminating birth outcome disparities for mothers and babies. We look forward to welcoming ICTC into the work of US MERA as we strive toward fulfilling these core values.
