midwives; ambulances; home births

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide information on whether the bill changes existing regulations for midwife licensing or certification.

Midwives Can Ride with Ambulances During Home Birth Emergencies

This bill allows midwives who request an ambulance for a home birth to ride in the ambulance and continue to provide care if approved by a medical director.

What This Bill Does

• Allows certified nurse midwives, certified professional midwives, or licensed midwives to accompany patients in ground ambulances during emergencies at out-of-hospital births if they request an ambulance for such births.
• Requires that midwives must get approval from the ambulance's medical director before providing care during transport.

Who It Names or Affects

• Certified nurse midwives, certified professional midwives, and licensed midwives who attend out-of-hospital births.
• Patients giving birth at home or in birthing centers who need emergency medical services.

Terms To Know

certified nurse midwife

A registered nurse with special training to help women during pregnancy, childbirth, and after having a baby.

licensed midwife

A person who is legally allowed to provide care for pregnant women and new mothers in Arizona.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify what happens if the medical director does not approve a midwife's request to ride in an ambulance.
• It is unclear how this change will affect emergency response times or patient outcomes.

Official Summary Text

HB2252 - 572R - House Bill Summary

ARIZONA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

57th
Legislature, 2nd Regular Session

Majority Research Staff

HB
2252
: midwives; ambulances; home births

Sponsor:
Representative Bliss, LD 1

Committee
on Health & Human Services

Overview

Allows
certified nurse midwives, certified professional midwives or licensed midwives
who request and ambulance during an out-of-hospital birth to accompany a
patient in the ground ambulance to the hospital and continue to provide
necessary medical care during transport if approved by the medical director.

History

The Arizona Department of Health Services (DHS) regulates
licensed
midwives
(LM) and
certified professional midwives
(CPM) who provide
health care related to pregnancy, delivery and postpartum care. They often
attend births in homes and birthing centers but not births in hospitals.

The Arizona Board of Nursing (AZBN) regulates
certified
nurse midwives
(CNM), who are also registered nurses, and may deliver
babies in hospitals

(A.R.S. ��

36-751
and

36-755
).

Provisions

1.

Allows a
certified nurse midwife, certified professional midwife or licensed midwife
that requests an ambulance during an out-of-hospital birth by dialing 911 or a
similarly designated telephone number for emergency calls to accompany the
patient in the ground ambulance to the hospital. (Sec. 1)

2.

Allows a
certified nurse midwife, certified professional midwife or licensed midwife to
continue to provide necessary medical care during transport if approved by the
medical director providing administrative medical direction. (Sec. 1)

3.

4.

5.

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6.

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2252

7.

1/15/2026� Page 0 Health
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8.

9.

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Current Bill Text

HB2252 - 572R - I Ver

REFERENCE TITLE:
midwives; ambulances; home births

State of Arizona

House of Representatives

Fifty-seventh Legislature

Second Regular Session

2026

HB 2252

Introduced by

Representative
Bliss

AN
ACT

Amending title 36, chapter 21.1, article
1, Arizona Revised Statutes, by adding section 36-2231; relating to
emergency medical services.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1. Title 36, chapter 21.1, article 1,
Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding section 36-2231, to read:

START_STATUTE
36-2231.

Ground ambulances; certified nurse midwives; certified
professional midwives; licensed midwives

If a certified nurse midwife, certified
professional midwife or licensed midwife requests an ambulance during an out-of-hospital
birth by dialing 911 or a similarly designated telephone number for emergency
calls, the certified nurse midwife, certified professional midwife or licensed
midwife may accompany the patient in the ground ambulance to the hospital and
may continue to provide necessary medical care during transport if approved by
the medical director providing administrative medical direction.

END_STATUTE