The Crown Point Family Health Centre

Kate Demers is a past graduate of the McMaster Midwifery Education Program, a practicing midwife at Community Midwives of Hamilton, and an Assistant Professor who is teaching Midwifery the Profession this fall.  Kate is also an instructor for the NRP and FHSL courses the MEP offers to students, community midwives and other health professionals.  In addition to her teaching responsibilities, Kate has recently become involved in an MEP partnership with the Crown Point Family Health Centre in Hamilton in a lead role.

The Medical Centre is a patient centered family health team providing primary health care to achieve the best possible health and quality of life for the surrounding community.  The Crown Point health team strives to provide access to quality health care, and to support patient self-management through a caring, collaborative organization (https://www.crownpointfhc.ca).

Kate’s role in this project is to develop an expanded midwifery model of care within the Family Health Centre.  She is working with a team of 5 midwives who are providing midwifery and expanded scope services to clients in the Crown Point region of Hamilton.  These services include medical abortions, well woman care including PAPs, IUD insertions and testosterone injections.  The midwives at the Centre also plan to offer care for pregnancies with early loss, contraception counseling, menopause counseling and point of care ultrasound.

One of the goals of this partnership is to provide care to vulnerable populations while offering the benefits of accessibility, longer visits and client-centered care.  One of the exciting things about this partnership is it could provide a template for other midwives looking to work in expanded midwifery models with vulnerable populations or in remote locations.