The gentlebirth.org website is provided courtesy of
Ronnie Falcao, LM MS, a homebirth midwife in Mountain View, CA

EMS Transfers

After a dozen EMS In-Services and listening to the needs of EMS personnel with regards to homebirth transports, a transport sheet was devised. The language of EMS folks is different than that of midwives, so we used their idea for calling the sheet a Turnover Sheet, since they also have a separate sheet for the hospital they travel to.

Many midwives also had a hand in devising this sheet. We tried to make the transfer of information as expeditious as possible, so that our client might receive care as quickly as possible. Many midwives in San Diego have chosen to fill out this sheet as labor unfolds, so that if an emergency occurs, time will be used with the client instead of filling out forms. EMS also requested that Licensed Midwives find a way to share their Licenses, so the transporting staff knows with whom they are communicating. Many midwives have chosen to attach copies of their Licenses to the Turnover Sheet. In the couple of incidences since this implementation, the transfers have gone much smoother and an atmosphere of respect has been fostered.

Feel free to modify the information for your practice, but please remember along the way that San Diego County s new relationship with EMS personnel was responsible for this form s creation.

Barbara E. Herrera
Midwife
San Diego, CA