The Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative of Los Angeles County
Visit the Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative Consortium of Los Angeles County (MFCI-CLAC) Website: http://motherfriendlylosangeles.net
We are perinatal professionals comprised of MDs, CNMs, LMs’/CPMs, RNs, MPHs, Doulas, Childbirth Educators, and Lactation Consultants, collaborating harmoniously to improve maternity care in Los Angeles.
Download the CIMS-MFCI: The Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative 
Evidence Basis for the Ten Steps of Mother-Friendly Care in the Journal of Perinatal Education, 2007, Issue 16, a Special Supplement Download now
Download Brochure: The Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative Los Angeles
Download article featuring us in Wet Set Gazette:
How To Have A Mother-Friendly Birth
Download a SNAPSHOT OF MFCI-CLAC
Download a Flyer for the MFCI-CLAC
View powerpoint from November 2012 inaugural meeting:
MFCI-Consortium: Nov. 20, 2012
Watch Video of Speech given by Representative Lucile Roybal-Allard (34th congressional district) at the kick-off event for The Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative of Los Angeles County, HEART AND HANDS: THE ART AND SCIENCE OF MOTHER-BABY FRIENDLY MATERNITY CARE (2012 at California Endowment Center for Healthy Communities, Los Angeles, California).
Funded from 2011-2013 By:
In Partnership with:
The Association for Wholistic Maternal and Newborn Health promotes The Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative (MFCI) developed by the Coalition for Improving Maternity Services (CIMS) , “a coalition of individuals and national organizations with concern for the care and well-being of mothers, babies, and families. CIMS mission is to “promote a wellness model of maternity care that will improve birth outcomes and substantially reduce costs. This evidence-based mother-, baby-, and family-friendly model focuses on prevention and wellness as the alternatives to high-cost screening, diagnosis, and treatment programs”.
“The evidence-based Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative (MFCI) evolved from the collaborative effort of many individuals and more than 26 organizations focused on pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding during meetings spanning nearly three years in the 1990′s. The MFCI – the cornerstone of our mission – is the first and only consensus document on U.S. maternity care.”
31 individuals and 26 organizations representing over 90,000 members ratified the Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative (MFCI) on July 1, 1996 These original signers (or “Ratifiers”) of the MFCI are listed here.
The Assocaiation for Wholistic Maternal and Newborn Health is not a representative of CIMS, and as such does not have authority to designate any individual practitioner or organization as “Mother-Friendly”. Furthemore, CIMS policy is not to designate or confer “Mother-Friendly” status on any individual practice or organization. Providers who wish to offer “Mother-Friendly” childbirth may do so voluntarily, by implementing any or all of the 5 principles and 10 Steps of the Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative developed by CIMS which they feel ready and willing to do. Consumers of childbirth services are encouraged to make informed choices about their health care providers. The principles and steps of the MFCI can be used as a guideline for consumers to make health care decisions.
ABOUT THE MOTHER-FRIENDLY CHILDBIRTH INITIATIVE OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY
Who We Are
We are perinatal professionals sharing the challenges and opportunities of implementing mother and baby-centered maternity care in the clinic, community and hospital setting. We are physicians, Licensed Midwives/Certified Professional Midwives, Nurse-Midwives, Nurses, Public Health Professionals, Researchers, Funders, students and parents working together to make this vision a reality in Los Angeles County.
About the Coalition for Improving Maternity Services (CIMS)
The Coalition for Improving Maternity Services (CIMS) is a coalition of individuals and national organizations with concern for the care and wellbeing of mothers, babies, and families. CIMS’ mission is to promote a wellness model of maternity care that will improve birth outcomes and substantially reduce costs. This evidence-based mother-, baby-, and family-friendly model focuses on prevention and wellness as the alternatives to high-cost screening, diagnosis, and treatment programs. CIMS is a non-profit volunteer organization.
The basis for the MFCI was highlighted in peer-reviewed Journal of Perinatal Education (2007). For more information on The Coalition for Improving Maternity Services (CIMS) and the Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative (MFCI), and to a download of the journal, go to: http://motherfriendly.org
Our Commitment
We are committed to promoting family-centered, evidence-based maternity care in Los Angeles County based on The Coalition for Improving Maternity Services’ Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative (MFCI), a 10-Step evidence-based model of care promoting optimal wellness for mothers and infants.
The Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative Los Angeles Projects include:
- The Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative Symposium (annual conference).
- The Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative Consortium of Los Angeles County (quarterly meetings).
- Presentations and Panel Discussions (Grand Rounds, Media Appearances, Conferences & Meetings).
- Trainings & Consultation for Perinatal Professionals (Trainings & In-Services).
Benefits of The Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative for Hospitals, Clinics, Doctors, Nurses and Patients
1) Increased patient satisfaction resulting in better compliance to medical recommendations and improved outcomes
2) Increased job satisfaction among nurses; helps to retain qualified staff and reduce turnover
3) Improvement in quality of care (evidence-based practices resulting in better outcomes for mothers and infants)
4) Cost-savings to hospitals because of shorter labors and less medical interventions
5) For doctors, clinics and hospitals, increased patient satisfaction results in repeat business and word-of-mouth recommendations
Goal of The Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative Consortium of Los Angeles County (MFCI-CLAC)
To engage Los Angeles maternity care stakeholders in a conversation for action to implement evidence-based maternity care in their practice settings, using the Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative (MFCI) as a planning and policy tool.
Purpose of the Consortium Meetings
1) Discuss the benefits of the Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative (MFCI) for hospitals, clinics, mothers, infants, and clinicians.
2) Provide a forum for discussion among nurses, doctors, doulas, childbirth educators, midwives, administrators and others on the challenges and opportunities of implementing mother-friendly care in the clinical or hospital setting.
3) Provide a forum for dissemination of evidence-based best practices for maternity care.
4) Support clinics, hospitals and community-based programs in developing plans of action to shift the thinking in their organizations towards mother-friendly care.
Why is Evidence-Based Maternity Care Important?
Improvements in Care Quality
Currently, the US is undergoing health care reform, and hospitals, clinics and health jurisdictions are under more pressure to achieve improvements in care quality and patient satisfaction and safety. Due to healthcare reform policy, improvements are now more imperative than ever, and healthcare providers need to be even more focused on improving clinical outcomes while safely reducing the cost of care. By incorporating current clinical evidence from scientific studies, and implementing proven best practices, perinatal organizations can achieve measurably improved outcomes measures including lowering maternal and infant morbidity and mortality, increasing breastfeeding initiation and duration, lowering rates of induction and augmentation of labor and reducing rates of cesarean section, as well as lowering rates of hospital readmission and other core measures. These changes can result in cost savings and result in repeat business from clients who are empowered and satisfied.
Dr. Kimberly Gregory, Moraya Moini, MPH, Mrs. Lowe’s daughter, Cordelia Hanna, MPH, and Dr. Sarah Kilpatrick (Chief of OB-GYN) at Cedars Sinai Medical Center OB-GYN Grand Rounds. Moraya and Cordelia presented on the Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative, May 1, 2013.
An evidence-based approach can help healthcare organizations to meet the mandates of healthcare reform as well as their own strategic performance goals. Wholistic Midwifery School/The Association for Wholistic Maternal and Newborn Health has launched this public awareness campaign in LA on the Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative (MFCI), a consensus document promoting evidence-based childbirth care which will substantially reduce costs, improve patient satisfaction, improve compliance with medical care recommendations, improve quality of care and improve health outcomes and meet public perinatal health objectives for mothers and infants. The MFCI is also aligned with the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Values of the ACA include Patient Centeredness, Safety, Effectiveness, Efficiency, Cost-Savings, and Equitability. Additionally, it focuses on Workforce Development, Multi-Disciplinary Teams, Coordinated Care, Patient Navigation, and promotes evidence-based, efficient, rigorous, accountable and measured delivery of care. The Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative holds up against all of these measures. The Association for Wholistic Maternal and Newborn Health has made great strides in raising awareness of the value of the Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative in Los Angeles County to be used as a policy and planning tool, and successfully supported one Los Angeles hospital in achieving Mother-Friendly Status, Good Samaritan Hospital. In addition, we are in the process of implementing a community-based doula program. The pilot program is underway through UCLA Center for Health Promotion Neighborhood Mother-Mentor Program in Pico-Union neighborhood.
Cost Savings
Many hospitals and public health clinics are focused on reducing the costs associated with providing high-quality patient care. The Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative allows prenatal care and maternity services to be provided at a much lower cost, saving hospitals and clinics thousands of dollars in expenditures they now never recoup given their current approach to maternity care which involves an overuse of NICU admissions, diagnostics, pharmacology and other high-tech approaches for normal births. It also results in greater satisfaction among nurses and thus reduces the cost of high turnover.
Achieving Health Objectives
Given health care reform, hospitals and physicians are now more than ever under pressure to raise the bar on clinical outcomes; improving patient care to meet stringent quality measures has become a top strategic priority for many healthcare organizations, as well as meeting measurable improvements in the quality of care delivered as mandated by The Joint Commission, The California Department of Health Services, JICHO and other regulating and reporting entities.
MFCI-CLAC Received Advocate Award
Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative Consortium of Los Angeles County Received the Advocate Award by The Coalition for Improving
Maternity Services (CIMS), March 1, 2013 in Kansas City, Kansas at the CIMS Forum, 2013. This award is given to individuals or organizations who have made a significant difference in raising awareness of the MFCI. Read more about this award.
The Association for Wholistic Maternal and Newborn Health is available for presentations, in-service training, and consultation to hospitals, clinics, medical practices and community-based organizations who are interested in learning more about The Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative.