In the hope of addressing incident review for all midwives in our state, previously a task that could be requested of the Midwifery Advisory Committee following licensure in 2006, the Wisconsin Guild of Midwives (WGOM) agreed to pursue process improvement, increased collaboration, and advocacy for our profession at the state level with the re-opening of the former Midwifery Advisory Committee.
The Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) appointed the Midwife Advisory Committee in late 2024 to advise the department on matters related to maternity care providers specializing in out of hospital care and the regulation of Licensed Midwives (LM). A Statement of Scope was created by DSPS and then shared to guide the committee. Due to the limitations of the Statement of Scope provided, the original hope of addressing incident review is not within the role of the Midwifery Advisory Committee. It is instead now a continued process to review and decide what is of importance to the Wisconsin midwifery community in our rules and regulations.
The committee will work together over the next 2 years to review our rules and come to a consensus on any suggested updates and changes to them. The goal is for the committee to agree on any changes as a team by the end of their 2 years of work together. After those 2 years, any recommended changes they have arrived at will be given to DSPS for consideration of redrafting into our rules and regulations.
*Note that the committee is engaging in ongoing conversations scheduled over 2 years, per state statute, and that NO LEGISLATION has been proposed at this time.
DSPS appointed committee members by WI statute consist of two members who are licensed midwives, one who is a nurse midwife practicing in an out-of-hospital setting, one who is a physician specializing in obstetrics and gynecology, and one member of the public who has received out-of-hospital midwifery care.
The current DSPS-appointed board members are:
- Korina M. Bauer, LM, CPM – committee chair
- Leslie C. Abitz, OB
- Kelsey A. Scherer, LM, CPM
- Angela Guzzardo, CNM
- Kayci Stevenson, PharmD – community member
The Midwifery Advisory Committee meets virtually every other month. The best way to stay informed is to call in and listen to the meetings. All committee meetings are open to the public and have an opportunity for public comment during the last 15 minutes of each meeting. Meeting dates and the link to join can be found here.
If you are interested in staying informed about the Midwifery Advisory Committee and how you can continue supporting midwives in the state of Wisconsin, you can email Friends of Wisconsin Midwives to join their listserv or join the Wisconsin Guild of Midwives.
*The Midwifery Advisory Committee is a DSPS-appointed committee and unaffiliated with any organization.
