Welcome to a ning.com network for the CIMS GAC Ambassadors supporting the Transparency in Maternity Care Project: The Birth Survey. We are are just getting started with this network platform and we hope you will help us build it. To network and have forum discussion with other ambassadors in your state please look under groups for your state. Then you can add discussions under each state group. To have conversations with the entire network of ambassadors (like the ambassador yahoo group) make posts under the "General Discussion" area on the Main Forum. The Ambassador Training and Support Committee is working to add files to the Main forum and discussions. Let us know what we can add, and hope you will add things as well. Thank you- GAC Leadership Team

1. To get alerts when others post to the Grassroots Grapevine please be sure to click the "follow" links at the bottom of each discussion thread. I recommend signing up for as many threads as you can. We are a low volume forum and you won't know others are posting unless you "follow" the discussions.
2. Check your personal account settings to be sure they are set to send you emails.
3. For a quick glace at the latest activity of the grapevine, scroll down on the home page. Under the ads.
4. Check out the aps and customizations possible for your personal pages. Also please ad photos, videos, music, facebook aps etc. to ad your personal touch and share with other advocates. Happy Networking!

Join our quarterly support calls. Come connect with other ambassadors. Share challenges, successes, strategies and support. Talk about what's working and what's not in your efforts to market The Birth Survey or obtain the official facility level stats. Get your questions answered by project leadership.

In order to accommodate the varying schedules of our volunteeers, we will now be holding our teleconference on a quarterly basis. There will no longer be monthly meetings. The dates for our upcoming teleconferences are listed below.

Conference Dial-in Number: (218) 339-4600
Participant Access Code: 408936#

February Support Call
Date: Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Time: 9:00-10:00 pm Eastern

July Support Call
Date: Tuesday, July 7, 2011
Time: 9:00-10:00 pm Eastern

October 6 Support Call
Date: Tuesday, October 6, 2011
Time: 9:00-10:00 pm Eastern

The following Transparency in Maternity Care Project: The Birth Survey Ambassador Training Webinars are planned for Fall 2010.

Click on the links below to register for a webinar training.

The GACSTAT Ambassador Training will provide information on how you can help make official facility level maternity care data available to the public. The training will explain the data we are looking to make public, and how to go about obtaining this data from state departments of health. (Note prior to June 2009 this training was a two part training. If you have previously taken Part 1 or Part 2 please register for this single training to complete your training series.) If you want to help “get the word out” about the project in your community, you only need to take a stand alone “Marketing” training below. This training will help explain the project and help you learn about how to market The Birth Survey in your community.

We currently only have one Marketing Training planned for this Fall. We are looking for a new trainer to present these marketing trainings. Please contact admin@thebirthsurvey.com if you are interested in serving as a webinar trainer for The Birth Survey.

Get The Word Out About The Birth Survey: GAC Marketing Training:
September 14, 2010 9:00PM ET

GACSTAT Transparency Project Ambassador Training:
Demystifying and Collecting the Data:
Mon, Aug 23, 2010 8:30 PM - 10:30 PM EDT