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Council hears updates on midwife workforce, new education grants and payment model
Summary
Chair Madelyn Weisner briefed the council on wildfire impacts on midwives, two HCAI education grants totaling $1,000,000 for midwifery training in California, and a payment model from Midwifery Access California aimed at improving reimbursement for licensed midwives.
Madelyn Weisner, chair of the Midwifery Advisory Council, said licensed midwives have been stretched by this year's wildfires and that midwives have continued to provide care in disrupted conditions, sometimes without electricity.
Weisner also reported that the Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI) awarded two $500,000 grants to expand midwifery education in California, one to a community college program in Ridgecrest and one to a California satellite program of Common Sense Childbirth School of Midwifery; both programs aim to start in fall of 2026. She said those awards together total $1,000,000 for licensed midwife education programs.
On payment and sustainability, Weisner described a finalized payment model from Midwifery Access California (MACA) intended to establish reimbursement structures aligned with community midwifery practice and to support Medi‑Cal access. She said the model was designed to reflect comprehensive care management and wraparound services typical of licensed‑midwife care and urged midwives and stakeholders to review the model with payers.
Why this matters: Council members said California faces maternity access shortages (reports cited in the meeting included March of Dimes and the California Hospital Association) and that expanding education and payment models are central to keeping midwives in practice and preserving access for families.
Weisner urged the council to consider agenda items later in the year focused on environmental exposures for pregnant people and midwives and on further discussions about workforce sustainability.
No formal vote was taken on these reports. Council members asked questions about the new education programs and urged continued advocacy for payment reforms and support for midwives working in disaster settings.
