About Us
The Perinatal Patient Advocacy Center certifies perinatal patient advocates (PPAs) to support families in navigating the healthcare system during birth, pregnancy, and/or the postpartum period, and especially during the birthing process. PPAs have experience as doulas, midwives, nurses, birth workers, or other perinatal professionals, and often serve in both roles concurrently.
We believe that every birthing family deserves an advocate who can help create:
- A cohesive care and support team that is aligned with the client’s personal values and needs
- Clear pathways of communication with medical providers that center the client’s right to meaningful information and autonomy
- A pregnancy, birth, and/or postpartum plan that represents the client’s values and respects the physical, cultural, and spiritual context of their decisions
- Prompt access to needed services and resources
PPAs commit to the highest standards of professional conduct as they represent their clients and/or advocate for improved standards of care within their communities.
Leadership
Alicia Fishbein, BCPA
Administrative Director
Meredith Nelson, MA, BCPA
Director of Certification
Amber Castleberry, CNM
Training Facilitator
Jessica Shinneman, RN
Training Facilitator
Emily Johnston, RN, IBCLC
Training Facilitator
PPAC Code of Ethics and Conduct
A Perinatal Patient Advocate:
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Provides a written service agreement disclosing scope, terms, fees, and potential conflicts of interest before commencing representation.
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Is responsive, diligent, and reliable in their dealings with or on behalf of clients throughout the term of their service agreement.
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Works with clients to create a cohesive care and support team centered around the client’s needs, values, and choices.
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Supports clients in gathering information related to the benefits, risks, and known alternatives of medical options.
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Consults with clients on the best means to accomplish the client’s goals, collaborates with care providers to make a plan aligned with the client’s needs and values, and keeps the client informed on the status of matters relevant to the client’s care.
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Recognizes the cultural and spiritual context in which a client is making decisions, and supports the client with respect and awareness of those contexts.
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May act or speak on behalf of clients when authorized by the client, based on the client’s stated or written values, goals, and informed decisions.
- Supports the autonomy of clients, educating the client and care team as needed on the client’s legal rights.
- Does not make decisions on behalf of clients.
- Does not make medical assessments or recommendations, even if they have a clinical credential.
- Withdraws from representing a client if the advocate’s physical or mental condition might impair the advocate’s abilities to represent the client, and refers the client to another suitable advocate.
- Keeps a detailed record of the client’s care as witnessed by the advocate.
- Maintains the confidentiality of client medical records and communications, and keeps them on file for 3 years after a client’s birth.
- Maintains a strong referral system to assist clients where the advocate is not qualified or able to provide support.
- Strives to stay up-to-date on standards for perinatal care, on physiologic birth, on perinatal resources, and on patient advocacy standards.