Our ask
| Funding to continue delivery with an view to expanding the model to meet the needs of more women.
Already successful, and popular with attendees, we know there is more need for this service. Funding for this model is inadequate and uncertain and if it ceases a huge gap in an essential service will result. |
$85,000 pa (indexed annually) |
Women report feeling supported, safe, heard and extremely satisfied with their care.
Our impact
Gateway Health’s Endorsed Midwife Care is an innovative program run in Wodonga providing extended continuity of midwife care, free of charge, supporting high risk, vulnerable and disadvantaged women that otherwise have difficulty accessing services.
The program works in partnership with maternal child health nurses, multicultural services, local regional birthing hospital and pregnancy care providers, guiding and empowering women to safely navigate our complex health and birthing systems, resulting in a positive pregnancy experience.
Our midwife is a nurse practitioner as well as an endorsed midwife, offering a comprehensive service and demonstrating the effectiveness of advanced practice midwives working in the community.
It facilitates close monitoring of foetal growth and maternal well-being, enables accurate screening and diagnosis of risk factors, provides individualised education (in language as relevant) and results in timely partnership-based referrals to multidisciplinary team members.
Midwife-led care is gold standard and well-supported by evidence and sees a woman more likely to have a normal birth, have their baby at term, have a positive labour and birth experience, feel satisfied with their pregnancy care and successfully breastfeed their baby.
Gateway Health is focused on working with people at highest risk of poor outcomes and this model is achieving that purpose.