The Arkansas Department of Health’s Licensed Lay Midwife Program is guided by Arkansas State Law. The Arkansas Board of Health gave the authority to the Arkansas Department of Health to oversee and administer the Licensed Lay Midwife Program, which was delegated to the Women’s Health program. The responsibilities include assisting with the Lay Midwife licensure process, apprentice applications and permits, monitoring of the Lay Midwife’s practice and birth records, providing guidance and monitoring of the Lay Midwife Rules and Regulations.

To contact Women’s Health, call 501-661-2480 or 800-462-0599 ext. 2480.

Although the Licensed Lay Midwife is not a Physician or Certified Nurse Midwife, she is trained in prenatal care, labor and delivery, postpartum care, and newborn care. The Licensed Lay Midwife provides a choice for home delivery.

All documents are in PDF format unless otherwise noted.

Downloads & Resources

• Continuing Education Application Packet
• Hospital Reporting Form – Lay Midwife Patient Transfer – Online Form
• Hospital Reporting Form – Lay Midwife Patient Transfer – Printed Form
• Licensed Lay Midwives and Apprentices
• Annual Statistic Report
• Complaint Form – Online Form
• Complaint Form – Print Form
• Arkansas Rules Examination Information
• Midwife Advisory Board

LLM Rules

• Licensed Lay Midwifery (effective May 23, 2022)
• Arkansas State Legislature Act 481 (authorizes BOH to license LLMs)

Licensed Lay Midwife Forms

• LLM Disclosure Form
• LLM Informed Refusal Form
• LLM Initial License and Reactivation of License Application
• LLM License Renewal Application
• Instructions for Completing LLM Reports
• LLM Caseload and Birth Log
• LLM Monthly Worksheet
• LLM Incident Report
• LLM Pre-Licensure Criminal Background Check Petition
• Preceptor-Apprentice Agreement for NARM PEP Apprentices

Resources and Helpful Links

• Access Arkansas (Apply for ARKids First, Medicaid, SNAP, and more)
• ADA Classification and Diagnosis of Diabetes (January 2022)
• American Diabetes Association
• CDC Guidelines for Group B Strep
• Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act (CLIA)
• Electronic Registration of Arkansas Vital Events (ERAVE)
• Genetic/Metabolic Screening
• Newborn Hearing Screening
• TRAIN Learning Network
• Unattended Home Birth (VR-18) Affadavit of Home Birth

ADH Approved Sources for Informed Refusal

• Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN)
• American College of Nurse-Midwives
• The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
• Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care
• Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Homepage)
• Childbirth Connection
• March of Dimes
• Office on Women’s Health
• UAMS Angels