AABC News Brief - APR 07 2023
3 Things You Need to Know
AABC Expands D+I Scholarship Program
AABC is expanding its Diversity + Inclusion Scholarship program to include more education programs (in-person and online). AABC understands the importance of increasing access to birth center care for all families and increasing access to education for all providers. Racial health disparities in perinatal care are devastating many communities. We know it’s our responsibility to address this failure of the US healthcare system and the history of the birth center movement which has too often centered white, affluent, straight women.
We offer Diversity + Inclusion Scholarships to Members of the Global Majority*, LGBTQIA+ folks, and people with disabilities.
AABC seeks to expand access and lower barriers to entry through these scholarships for the annual AABC Birth Institute, How to Start a Birth Center Workshops (in-person and online), and Community Birth Assistant Training.
Bring Your Challenges to April IRC Office Hours
April 19th at 12:00PM ET
Are you having difficulty getting in network with payors? Has contracting got you down? In February, join Industry Relations Committee members Erica Biesinger and Marnie Cabezas for an open Q+A session. Bring your challenges with getting sustainable reimbursement. We will brainstorm solutions together.
AABC membership is required for IRC Office Hours. Registration is free and open to all AABC members.
Register for AABC Affinity Circles
The AABC Diversity + Inclusion Committee invites members to participate in quarterly Affinity Circle meetings. Our upcoming May meetings are an exciting opportunity to engage in community building and self growth and collective learning.
Affinity Circles are offered for the following groups:
- Members of the Global Majority - Because historic minoritizing and marginalizing has continually occurred to Black, brown, Asian, and additional people of color, we respectfully use the collective term the Global Majority in our attempt to affirm and positively represent the people who hold these racial identities.
- LGBTQIA+
- White Allyship
These meetings are designed to create a safe space for members to explore identity, areas of concern, and community change. These sessions will be facilitated by AABC’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) consultants, Sarah Hansen and Amanda Neatrour, of the EnterChange Group.
*The Global Majority includes Asian American (or of Asian descent) or Pacific Islander, Black or of African descent (African American, Afro-Caribbean, etc.), Indigenous to Americas (Alaskan Native, American Indian, Native American), Latinx or Hispanic, Southwest Asian or Northern African, or a person who is of multiple races