Unlicensed Arizona midwife continues to practice

The state of Arizona has filed a lawsuit against a formerly licensed midwife in an effort to prevent her from continuing to provide care to pregnant women and newborns.

Sarah Kankiewicz agreed not to practice midwifery in the state for at least 15 years in a settlement agreement, dated June 13, with the Arizona Department of Health Services. She surrendered her license to avoid revocation after complaints about her care of clients, including a Safford mom and baby who died after complications during a home birth.

In a civil complaint, filed on July 30, the Arizona Department of Health Services said regulators received information in July that Kankiewicz was continuing to act as a midwife. The complaint said she had announced on her Wild Birth Services social media account, “Ever wonder what happens in the state of Arizona when an unlicensed midwife continues to practice? Let’s find out together.”

ADHS regulators accused Kankiewicz of acting as a midwife without a proper license when she sent a compensation agreement to a client and submitted prenatal lab orders for a client after June 13.

The state is asking a Maricopa County judge to issue an injunction preventing Kankiewicz from “delivering a baby or providing health care related to pregnancy, labor, delivery and postpartum care of a mother or an infant.” In addition, the state is requesting she be barred from using any “words, letters, signs, or figures to indicate that the person is a licensed midwife.” A hearing is set for August 16.

Read the full story from ABC15 Arizona here.