Ontario Connecting People to More Care from Midwives
Grimsby – The Ontario government is making it easier and more convenient for patients to connect to care by expanding the list of drugs that midwives can prescribe and administer for the first time since 2010. This expansion includes additional routine vaccinations, treatment for nausea, vomiting and acid reflux, labour management, birth control and management of labour pain in a hospital setting.
“This is great news for expecting families in West Niagara,” said Sam Oosterhoff, MPP for Niagara West.
“The expansion of practice for midwifery services will connect more patients to a primary care provider and ensure increased access to health care in the right place and at the right time.”
“Our government is continuing to ensure people have access to the care they need, when they need it,” said Hon. Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health.
“By making changes to allow midwives to provide more care through additional treatments and more vaccines, we are connecting more people to convenient care, while reducing the need for referrals to other providers.”
“This expansion is a positive step in further integrating midwives into the health care system and will help to improve both the quality and timeliness of care for midwifery clients,” said Registered Midwife, Pilar Chapman, Site Lead of Midwifery at West Lincoln Memorial Hospital in Grimsby.
“We are grateful to the provincial government for recognizing and supporting initiatives that will allow midwives to further enhance their scope of care and work to their fullest capacity.”
The province has made changes that reflect the training and expertise of Ontario’s highly skilled midwives by allowing them to:
- Administer routine vaccinations for COVID-19, flu, RSV, tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis, rotavirus and chickenpox;
- Prescribe antibacterials such as azithromycin and cefixime, additional antifungal treatments, antivirals to prevent herpes transmission to the newborn, oral, injectable, intravaginal, intrauterine and transdermal contraceptives for post-partum patients and additional medications that help with nausea, heartburn and indigestion, vomiting, lactation treatments, inducing or augmenting labour and managing spontaneous early pregnancy loss;
- Administer treatments for nausea, syphilis and gonorrhea and Naloxone to reverse effects of opioids;
- Prescribe and administer additional vitamins, minerals and fluid replacements and,
- Administer treatment for the management of labour pain in a hospital setting.
As part of the Your Health plan, the Ontario government is making it easier for highly skilled, regulated health care professionals, including midwives, to work to the full extent of their training and expertise to better serve the needs of people in a connected and convenient manner.