Mary O’Meara, Certified Nurse Midwife Owner, CNM Women’s Healthcare, Tampa, Florida

What is your background?

I am originally from Ireland and trained as a nurse midwife in London. I am used to the European model for obstetrical care where the nurse midwife provides prenatal, delivery and post-natal care for 80 percent of the women.

I familiarized myself with managed care and insurance and the issues that were causing problems at the time in 90’s. I had come from a system in Europe where 80% of care came from nurse midwives and so I have always believed that the majority of care should provided in this way, although that is not the common model in the U.S.