The Midwifery and Toronto Community Health (MATCH) Program provides access to high quality, perinatal, reproductive and sexual health care for all people, regardless of OHIP status, at South Riverdale Community Health Centre.
Launched during the fall of .2018, MATCH prioritizes care for people who sometimes face barriers in accessing midwifery care that meets their needs. MATCH serves vulnerable communities such as new immigrants to Canada, visible minorities or people of colour, Ontario residents who don’t have OHIP insurance, people who are using drugs, people with low income, queer and trans folks, young or single parents, and people who are homeless or under-housed.
MATCH is a team of four registered midwives who join multidisciplinary primary care teams at South Riverdale Community Health Centre and Regent Park Community Health Centre; these teams include doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners, social workers, physiotherapists and others. MATCH midwives also provide care and services at Michael Garron Hospital, The Toronto Birth Centre or at the client’s home.
MATCH midwives are experts in sexual and reproductive health and are committed to providing respectful midwifery care to all people, particularly people living in complex situations. Guiding the sexual and reproductive health care that midwives at MATCH provide is a philosophy that patients/clients should have freedom of access and freedom of choice to decide if, when and how often they want to have children.
Since MATCH started accepting clients with due dates in February, 2019, the midwives have cared and are caring for 32 clients. Most receive pregnancy care and/or postpartum care but others are seen for pregnancy counseling and case management around abortion care. One client needed only to access the multidisciplinary team for immunizations. So far, MATCH midwives have attended seven births, one at the Toronto Birth Centre and six at Michael Garron Hospital. They are expecting to deliver nine more babies before the end of summer, 2019.