Alabama State Board of Midwifery Meeting Minutes
March 6, 2020
The Alabama State Board of Midwifery met on Friday, March 6, 2020, to conduct business. Board members present were: (1) Ms. Noel Leithart (Board Chair), (2) Ms. Tori Dennis (member), (3) Ms. Stephanie Armstead (member), (4) Ms. Stacey Bufkin (member) and (5) Ms. Marietta Nero (member). Ms. Colleen Tullis (member) was absent. Also present at was Dr. Sharon Porterfield Miller, administrative assistant to the Board. Ms. Bettie Carmack, attorney to the Board, attended remotely. The physical meeting was held at Vestavia City Hall, Vestavia Hills.
The members of the public at the physical location were Chris Megginson, Laura Reeder, Nancy Megginson, Chloe Raum, Rebekah Myrick, Lauren Collins, and Matt Hart, representing the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners.
The Board meeting had been advertised on the Secretary of State’s website, in accordance with the Alabama Open Meetings Act. Being a quorum of board members present, Ms. Leithart, Board Chairperson, called the meeting to order at 10:07 a.m. and proceeded to preside over the meeting.
Chris Megginson was sworn in as the Consumer member of the board, fulfilling the vacancy, and Ms. Leithart was sworn in as a reappointment for one of the CPM roles.
Ms. Leithart presented the December 13, 2019, meeting minutes for the Board’s approval. Copies of the minutes were provided to the members via email prior to the meeting for their review. No corrections or addendums were made. Ms. Armstead made a motion to adopt the December 13, 2019, meeting minutes. The motion was seconded by Ms. Dennis and unanimously approved by the Board.
The Board Chair’s Report was given by Ms. Leithart. She gave a financial report and reported that she and Dr. Porterfield Miller participated in an audit with the State Board of Examiners. There will be a full and final report from the auditors in the summer, held in Montgomery. The full board is expected to attend the hearing of the findings by the auditors. The date is not known yet. Ms. Leithart again reminded all board members to attend Board Member training, held in Montgomery. The most recent training was held on Jan 29, 2020. The Board will be informed regarding the date of the next training.
Ms. Leithart had received communication from the Lt. Governor’s office regarding compliance with the Military Family Jobs Opportunity Act. Because the national certification of Certified Professional Midwife is required to become licensed in Alabama, this fulfills the requirements of the Act, so the Board is in compliance. Dr Porterfield Miller and Ms Leithart continue to work with registering with SAVE, which is the national citizenship verification program. The application is pending approval from SAVE. Ms. Carmack strongly encouraged the completion of this process prior to the need to certify the citizenship of an applicant.
Ms. Leithart has created a form previously omitted from the forms packet. The form for the Petition for the Adoption of a Rule (Ala. Code 582-X-1-.06(a)(1)) is available upon request.
According to the Rules (Ala. Code 582-X-1-.05(k)) the Board is required to maintain current evidence of PLI and CPM status. Dr. Porterfield Miller will send out a letter to all Licensed Midwives reminding them of this requirement. After discussion of the ambiguity of license renewal dates, a motion was made by Mr. Megginson and seconded by Ms. Bufkin that the board will send out a renewal letter giving the licensed midwives all information and dates concerning license renewal. A link to the renewal application will be included in the letter. Some licenses are due for renewal by July 1, 2020.
Dr. Porterfield Miller will revise the following forms for the website:
- The Renewal application
- Licensure Requirement Form
- Application Checklist
- Initial Application
Ms. Dennis made a motion to revisit and/or revise the Rules. The motion states that Stacey Bufkin, Chris Megginson and legal counsel will be responsible for that.It was seconded by Ms. Leithart. It was suggested by Bettie Carmack that each board member take a section of the rules and update them where needed. Oral vote taken. All in favor. None opposed. Motion passed.
Ms. Leithart reminded the Board that her term as chair expires on March 8, 2020. Ms Dennis nominated Stacey Bufkin to become Board chairperson.The motion was seconded by Ms. Leithart and passed unanimously. Ms. Bufkin accepted the position as Board Chairperson.
The Board solicited comments from the public. Some concerns from the public were:
- Rolling Applications
- Personal Liability Insurance
- Renewal Letters
There was no further business of the Board. Mrs. Armstead made a motion to adjourn. Ms. Dennis seconded, and the motion passed unanimously. Ms. Leithart adjourned the meeting at 11:49 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
Sharon Porterfield Miller
Dr. Sharon Porterfield Miller
Administrative Assistant