ASB-Mobile Midwife Unit A good start to every life

In some regions of Germany there is shortage of midwifes and in others there is an uneven distribution of midwife density. As a result for some women it is very difficult to receive midwifery care, both in rural and urban areas. This is where the ASB-Mobile Midwife Unit helps. It offers unbureaucratic and reliable midwifery care as well as advice for pregnant women and young families.

A good start to every life

The ASB-Mobile Midwife Unit is a service that enables access to midwifery care. The Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund in North-Rhine Westfalia is committed to connecting a midwife to every women in need. Our aim is to support pregnant women, as they have a legal right to midwifery care during this significant phase of their lives.

Two ASB-Mobile Midwife Units are already on duty. Both, urban and rural areas are served by these mobile units in their pilot phase. The first one has been on the road since March 2022 and continues to provide help at various locations in the regions that were particularly affected by the floods in the summer of 2021. The second project was launched in October 2023 for those in need, e.g. women without health insurance or in socially difficult circumstances.

How an ASB-Mobile Midwife Unit works

The Unit serves as a contact point for women and young families. It is an additional support service to standard care in an outpatient setting, supplementing and strenghtening neighbourhood work. Reliability, high quality and a permanent team of local midwives build up trust on both sides.

Recurring locations and consultation hours increase the visibility of the Unit at easily accessable locations of daily life. Women do not need an appointment for consultation hours. The service is free of charge, also for women without health insurance. The ASB cooperates with regional stakeholders who provide further advice and information about local needs. The vehicles are professionally staffed and outfitted. Therefore they are very flexible to reach locations of demand.

To relieve the midwives, a support worker will be on site to ensure that everything runs smoothly during opening hours. The ASB-Mobile Midwife Unit is organized by the ASB-Midwife Coordination Centers, that have a high level of expertise on bringing women and midwives together.

Benefits

The ASB-Mobile Midwife Unit reaches women and young families who are presently underserved.
The Unit provides a safe place for midwfery treatment and counselling.
Furthermore it provides further information on other support and health care offers.
For midwives, it is a new and attractive workplace.
Teamwork in a meaningful setting of networking between health and social care is a positive challenge.
Municipalities can request the ASB-Mobile Midwife Units and thereby open up an additional option of midwifery care in their region.

Next steps

A third ASB-Mobile Midwife Unit will be launched this summer in the high populated Ruhr area of North-Rhine-Westphalia to improve access to outpatient midwifery care before and after birth in this currently underserved region.