News and Notes FNU Faculty Published in “BIRTH: Issues in Perinatal Care”
(L-R) Jill Alliman, Diana Jolles, Susan Stapleton, Carla Townsend. A team of FNU faculty was recently published in the December 2020 issue of BIRTH: Issues in Perinatal Care. The article, “Rural Resilience: The Role of Birth Centers in the United States” was authored by FNU faculty Jill Alliman, DNP, CNM; Diana Jolles, Ph.D., CNM; and Carla Townsend, MLS, BS; former FNU faculty member and FNU graduate Susan Stapleton, CNM, DNP, Class 01; along with Kate Bauer, MBA, Lauren Hoehn-Velasco, Ph.D., MA, BS, and Jennifer Wright, MA. The article examines the role of the birth center model of care in rural health and maternity care delivery in the United States. The researchers analyzed data from 2012 to 2020 on 88,754 childbearing families enrolled in care at 82 birth centers across the United States, many of them operated by FNU alumni. The data showed that quality outcomes exceeded national benchmarks across all geographic regions in both rural and urban settings. A stable and predictable rate of transfer to a higher level of care was demonstrated across geographic regions, with over half of the population remaining appropriate for the birth center level of care throughout the perinatal episode of care. Controlling for socio-demographic and medical risk factors, outcomes were as favorable for clients in rural areas compared with urban and suburban communities.
The authors concluded that a major focus of maternity care reform should be the expansion of access to birth center models of care, especially in underserved areas such as rural communities. Open access to this important research was made possible with funding from the AABC Foundation.
FNU Faculty Contribute to “Clinical Practice Guidelines for Midwifery & Women’s Health”
Jolles, D, Stapleton, S, Wright, J, et al. Rural resilience: The role of birth centers in the United States. Birth. 2020; 00: 1– 8. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/ full/10.1111/birt.12516
FNU Faculty Author Textbook Chapter
Diane John
Vicky Stone-Gale
“It is a positive highlight of the strength and resilience of rural people and the role of midwifery-led care for the population,” said Dr. Jolles.
FNU Associate Professors Dr. Diane John, Ph.D., APRN, FNP-BC, CNE, and Dr. Vicky StoneGale, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, FAANP co-authored Chapter 8 in Health Promotion, a textbook written for nurse practitioners and advanced practitioners. Published in December by F.A. Davis, the book is described as “Stepby-step, a who’s who of educators, researchers, and practitioners explore the models and skills you need to help your patients, including those with multiple comorbidities while evaluating medical evidence that changes rapidly, or that may be unclear.”
Nena Harris
Linda McDaniel
Laura MannsJames
Angela Mitchell
Katharine Heaney 22 Frontier Nursing University • Quarterly Bulletin
FNU faculty members recently contributed to the 6th Edition of “Clinical Practice Guidelines for Midwifery & Women’s Health”, published by Jones & Bartlett. Assistant Professors Nena Harris, CNM, FNP-BC, CNE, Ph.D., and Linda McDaniel, CNM, RNFA, DNP, are assistant editors for the book, and Associate Professor Dr. Laura Manns-James, Ph.D., CNM, WHNP-BC, CNE, is an associate editor. FNU Instructor Angela Mitchell, FNP-BC, DNP, was a reviewer for the cardiovascular chapter, and FNU student Katharine Heaney, RN, BSN, CLC, SNM, was a contributor to the Group B streptococcus colonization chapter. The book is described as “an accessible and easyto-use quick reference guide for midwives and women’s healthcare providers. Thoroughly updated and revised to reflect the changing clinical environment, it offers current evidence-based practice, updated approaches, and opportunities for midwifery leadership in every practice setting.”
