Midwifery Care in Rural, Remote & Northern Communities

Although close to 2 million Ontarians live in rural regions, there remains a great deal of variation in the availability of health services in rural, remote and northern communities across the province. Families living in these areas may experience multiple barriers to accessing maternity care, including transportation, limited health-care provider options and availability, linguistic and culturally limited care, and financial burdens.

Midwives are committed to meeting the needs of families living in rural, remote and northern communities. As of 2015, there were 23 midwifery practice groups in areas designated by the Ministry of Health (MOH) as rural or remote. However, midwives practicing in these communities often face many unique challenges. In 2014, the AOM received funding from the MOH to conduct research to identify challenges and opportunities to providing midwifery care in rural, remote and northern areas, and to develop recommendations for how to strengthen maternity care in these communities.

Here is the final report.