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.
Related:ABC15 creates searchable database to help moms choose quality Arizona midwives
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.
Kankiewicz filed an answer to the lawsuit saying she "intend[s] to defend these allegations." She did not respond to a phone call and text from ABC15 seeking comment.
ADHS initially licensed Kankiewicz in 2020 as a certified professional midwife.
The state moved to revoke Kankiewicz's license after her client Jordan Terry died and Jordan's son Mack was stillborn in December. Jordan had planned to have a VBAC, vaginal birth after cesarean delivery, at home. After hours of labor, the mom lost consciousness.
Jordan was taken to a Safford hospital but neither she nor her baby survived. Her cause of death was uterine rupture.
State regulators later found Kankiewicz should never have taken Jordan as a client because her prior C-section had complications. Regulators also found the midwife failed to properly monitor vital signs and dilation and waited too long to call EMS.
The home birth tragedy raised questions about oversight of Arizona midwives and enforcement actions.
Jordan’s family told ABC15 they didn’t know state regulators had found deficiencies in the care Kankiewicz provided during two previous births, and the midwife had been fined five times for failing to turn in reports on time.
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