Medical Board staff reviews multiple bills affecting midwifery, including licensure, payment and screening requirements

Aaron Bone, the Medical Board’s chief of legislation and public affairs, summarized legislative activity that will affect licensed midwives and the board’s regulatory program.

AB55 (the Freedom to Birth/altered alternate birth center licensure). Bone said AB55 revises licensure requirements for alternative birth centers, requires written hospital transfer policies and a signed patient acknowledgment of estimated transfer time, and updates certification standards to align with the American Association of Birth Centers. He said the bill had been approved by the Legislature and was pending action by the governor.

AB836 and workforce studies. Bone described AB836 as a state-authorized study, led by the Department of Health Care Access and Information, to assess midwifery education and recommend a sustainable workforce strategy that reflects California’s racial, ethnic, linguistic, socioeconomic and geographic diversity. He said the bill cleared the Legislature and awaited gubernatorial…