We acknowledge that there are folks whose economic circumstances would prevent them from accessing midwifery care if there was not a deliberate opportunity made for them to access services at a cost that is reflective of their economic realities. If this is you, know that you deserve the same access to care as those who can afford to pay more. However if you can ask others for financial support, such as family, partners, friends, etc. please consider using those personal resources before you use the resources of the sliding scale which could limit the opportunities of others. 

For a sliding scale to work, it relies on principles of truthfulness, respect for complexity, and accountability. We ask you to consider the idea of sacrifice vs hardship when examining your access to our care. If paying our full fee would be difficult, but not detrimental, it could qualify as a sacrifice. (You may have to scale back on other spending such as going out to dinner, or this year's family vacation), but this will probably not have a long-term, harmful impact on your life). This is a sacred sacrifice in order to pursue something you are called to do. If, however, paying our average fee would lead to a harmful impact on your life, such as not being able to put food on the table, pay rent, or pay for your transportation to work, then you are dealing with hardship. Folks coming from a space of hardship typically qualify for the lower end of our sliding scale.  At the end of the day, the pricing spectrum thrives on trust. 

We place our trust in your assessment of your own economic reality. Since the sliding scale is a tool of accountability, it is an ongoing conversation and we remain open and committed to helping folks figure out how to talk about their own economic experiences, and we hold firm intentions of providing midwifery service to folks of varying resources with the hope of reducing financial barriers to our care.