Spring It On!
The AABC Foundation is currently hosting the Spring It On 2022 Virtual Race. This year, the virtual marathon takes us up the Pacific Coast Highway in California as we fundraise to advance the birth center model and improve maternity care in the U.S. Forty-two athletes are logging their physical activity to progress along the 26.2-mile route, all while raising funds and awareness to support birth centers.
Special thanks to the Spring It On sponsors!
Coach: Southern Cross Insurance Solutions
Assistant Coach: Commission for the Accreditation of Birth Centers
Assistant Coach: The Midwife Center for Birth & Women’s Health
Trainer: Judy Ruszkowski
As we enter the home stretch of the race, we hope you'll help us Sprint to the Finish, and by that we mean that every donation made will be matched by a generous donor. Your donation will have double the impact! Scan the QR code or Find out how you can support Spring It On at aabcfoundation.org/ spring-it-on
Scholarships
Congratulations to the awardees of the 2022 Amy Polk Scholarship: Jordan Smith, Katrina Einander, Sierra Thornberry, Heather D. Skanes, and Tara Lawal! The Amy Polk Scholarship is an annual scholarship to attend the AABC How to Start a Birth Center Workshop. For the past two years, the Amy Polk recipients have had to take the course online, but they’ll also have the opportunity to attend one of the in-person workshops this year. The 2022 recipients are looking to start birth centers in Birmingham, Alabama; Clarksville, Tennessee; South Seattle and rural Washington; and the East Bay area in California. Best of luck to them and their birth center endeavors!
The AABC Foundation will be accepting applications for the Lisa Ross Scholarship from May 10th through June 15th. This scholarship pays the registration fee to attend the AABC Birth Institute conference, as well as a $500 stipend for travel and lodging. To learn more about this scholarship and other opportunities, visit aabcfoundation.org/scholarships.
Changemaker Accreditation Grants
At the beginning of 2022, the AABC Foundation began accepting applications for the Changemaker Accreditation Grant. This grant pays for an AABC member birth center’s accreditation fees with the Commission for the Accreditation of Birth Centers. In that time, we’ve awarded six Changemaker Accreditation Grants to:
Saige Birth Center in New Orleans, LA
Baby Catcher Birth Center in Lafayette, LA
Rainier Valley Birth and Health Center in Seattle, WA
Astoria Birth Center & Family Medicine in Astoria, OR
Birth Center of New Jersey in Union, NJ
Gentle Landing Birth Center in Hanover, NH
We hope these birth centers will all successfully complete the accreditation process and continue to make a difference in their communities. Learn more at aabcfoundation.org/ accreditation.
Research Grants
Each year, the AABC Foundation awards research grants of up to $5,000 to support research projects relating to the birth center model of care. This year, we’ve awarded grants to the following projects:
The Birth Equity Ecosystem in New Jersey: A Mixed Methods Geospatial and Policy Analysis of Birth Center Access
Outcomes for People with Larger Bodies in Freestanding Birth Centers Compared to Advanced Maternal Age and Nulliparity
Birthing the Change: Birthing Centers, Community Birth Workers, and Conceptualizations of Inequality
Birth Center Outcomes of Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Birthing People
Exploring the Awareness of Birth Centers, Choice of Maternity Care Providers and Childbirth Plans Among Diverse, National Sample of Pregnant Individuals during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Factors Affecting Birth Center Decision-Making During Pregnancy
Additionally, two previously funded Research Grant projects have been completed.
Awarded a grant in 2020, “Assessment of interprofessional collaboration at birth centers: Does collaboration influence clinical outcomes?” by Jacqueline Wallace, et al was published in the Journal of Interprofessional Education & Practice, Volume 25.
Awarded a grant in 2017, “Associations between length of second stage labor and maternal and newborn outcomes in freestanding birth centers” by Nancy Niemczyk was reported at the 2021 ACNM Annual Meeting. The journal article, “Associations between prolonged second stage of labor and maternal and neonatal outcomes in freestanding birth centers: a retrospective analysis” was published in BMC Pregnancy & Childbirth, Volume 22.
Read this research and see what other projects have been funded at aabcfoundation.org/research-funding
2022 Fundraising Gala
The AABC Foundation is excited to invite you to the 2022 Gala to Grow Birth Centers: Moonlit Marina! The gala will be held on the lawn at the Hyatt Regency Mission Bay Spa & Marina in San Diego, CA on Friday, September 16th during the AABC Birth Institute. The Gala to Grow Birth Centers is an event to raise funds to support the AABC Foundation and its programs to advance the AABC birth center model of care. The evening will feature a variety of activities, including a silent auction, hors d’oeuvres, raffles, games, drinks, and more. Visit aabcfoundation.org to join our mailing list and be the first to hear about gala updates!