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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Lisa Summers, CNM, DrPH, Director, Professional Services, American College of Nurse Midwives, 8403 Colesville Road, Suite 1550, Silver Spring, MD 20910, 240-485-1840, lsummers@acnm.org

The White Ribbon Alliance (WRA) is an international coalition of organizations who advocate for increased public awareness of safe pregnancy and delivery. Following Katrina, the group focused its efforts on what lessons could be learned in caring for pregnant women, new mothers and fragile newborns in a crisis or emergency. The WRA has developed the Women and Infants Service Package, or WISP. The WISP is a set of guidelines that outline the minimum, initial actions needed to respond to the essential health care needs of pregnant women and new families in a natural disaster, epidemic, or terrorist event. The WISP is not just equipment and supplies; but a set of activities implemented in a coordinated manner by appropriately trained personnel. The objectives of the WISP are to identify organizations or individuals who will be responsible for implementation of the WISP and advocate for the unique needs of women and newborns; to prevent excess neonatal and maternal morbidity and mortality;and plan for the provision of comprehensive perinatal services, integrated into primary health care, as the situation permits. Planning for emergencies in a country where the vast majority of births take place in hospitals provides a special challenge. Determining how pregnant, laboring and postpartum women will be triaged and cared for and the provision of delivery kits and practice guidelines for use by mothers, midwives or health professionals to promote safe deliveries outside of healthcare institutions is a critical component

Learning Objectives:

• Describe the special challenges that face pregnant women, new mothers and fragile newborns in a crisis or emergency.
• Describe the Women and Infants Service Package as developed by the White Ribbon Alliance.

Keywords: Disasters, Access and Services

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation