MATERNAL HEALTH IN THE 21ST CENTURY-Sarasota and Beyond

The FREE program will feature a distinguished panel of internationally recognized speakers.
The panelists for this program are:
· Dr. Washington Hill, MD, FACOG, Labor and Delivery Medical Director and Maternal-Fetal Medicine Director at Sarasota Memorial Hospital;
· Ina May Gaskin, MA, CPM, Founder and Director of The Farm Midwifery Center;
· Jennifer Highland, MPH, Executive Director of the Healthy Start Coalition of Sarasota County.
· Rep. Keith Fitzgerald, PhD, Florida House of Representatives, District 69;
The discussion will be moderated by Kelly Kirschner, Sarasota City Commissioner and Vice Mayor, and will last approximately an hour and a half. Time will be allotted for audience questions and answers as well as refreshments following the program.

This panel will review current trends in maternity care in Sarasota within the context of the U.S. and the world and will target paths to improving maternity care locally and nationwide. Topics for discussion include:
· Maternal mortality;
· Obstetric intervention rates and risks;
· Legislation;
· Legal reform and malpractice concerns;
· Community education and awareness;
· Tthe midwifery model of care;
· Informed consent and refusal;
· The availability of prenatal and postpartum care (including education, counseling, and doulas);
· The upcoming expansion of Sarasota Memorial Hospital to include new labor and delivery rooms.