MaBAL (Maternity and Babies Advice Line) is your Instant Access maternity and newborn support pathway.
It is one of three 24/7 Real-Time Virtual Support (RTVS) pathways for healthcare providers for healthcare collaboration in rural and remote communities in BC.
Call MaBAL
The MaBAL team includes family physicians and midwives with expertise in maternal and newborn care, with an understanding of rural and cultural contexts. They provide urgent and non-urgent support for pre-conception, prenatal, antenatal, intrapartum, and postpartum presentations, for both moms and newborns. The team can also help with other women’s health issues such as contraception.
Family physicians can also provide assistance in assessment and problem-solving and can rapidly facilitate access to specialist expertise.
Support includes:
- reviewing a case;
- helping to navigate the healthcare system including patient transport;
- providing collaborative support;
- infant nutrition help;
- interpreting test results;
- running through simulation scenarios;
- other situations as needed by rural providers.
Visit the RUDi (Emergency), CHARLiE (Pediatrics) and ROCCi (Critical Care and Internal Medicine) pages for more information on the other Instant Access pathways for providers in rural and remote BC.
Want to join our team?
The MaBAL team is looking for physicians who want to be part of a community of practice on the cutting edge of virtual support for equity of access to health care in rural BC.
How to Connect
If you received a Zoom account through RCCbc, the RTVS Pathway contacts are pre-populated and ready to use. Just open Zoom on your computer, phone, or tablet. If you are signed in, you will see all available RTVS pathways under “All Contacts”. Select the Pathway you wish to connect with and click “Meet” for an instant call.
If you have a Zoom licence from PHSA, Northern Health, or Interior Health, you can search for the contacts, then star them as favourites so they show up in your starred contacts for easy access.
If you have a Zoom licence from another organization, you will need to add the RTVS contacts to your account. The MaBAL contact is [email protected].
It may take up to 24 hours for your contact request to be accepted, so contacts will show as “pending” until then.
If you need assistance adding contacts, watch the video about adding contacts.
There are three ways to connect to RTVS, via Zoom, over the phone and via FNHA Telehealth Cart. Watch the video below to learn more.
MaBAL poster
Whether you are a physician, midwife, resident, nurse practitioner, first responder or nurse in a rural, remote or First Nations community, you can make MaBAL part of your rural healthcare team. Download the MaBAL poster and print it and post it at your rural health site to keep the pathway top of mind.
MaBAL Coaching
Registered Midwives and Registered Nurses provided coaching sessions for nurses. The coaching sessions were geared towards nurses supporting maternity care in rural sites.
Please note MaBAL Coaching took a break in April 2023 so no recordings will be posted from that time period. MaBAL Coaching also breaks over the summer months.
Anyone with any feedback about the previous sessions is encouraged to fill out an evaluation form (if you have not already done so) so that we can continue to improve the sessions. Please continue to send through future case / topic ideas through this form.
Anyone who attended the Dec 1 2022 MaBAL Coaching session on Infant Transport can access resources here:
BLS/ACLS Course (Rural Locums)
Vancouver Island Conference Centre Vancouver Island Conference Centre, 101 Gordon St, Nanaimo, BC, CanadaThose attending the Rural Locum Forum are invited to this pre-forum BLS/ACLS course on Friday February 7th in Nanaimo.
Rural POCUS Rounds: Valves
Virtual , CanadaJoin Dr. Claire Heslop on Friday, Feb. 7, 2025, for a talk on POCUS on Valves. REGISTER HERE This webinar is for the professional development of health professionals. … Continued
Providers Thriving Together — The Ever Present Circle: An Indigenous-led discussion around relationship, resiliency, and the importance of diversifying your circle with Duane Jackson
Virtual , CanadaOverview Join us for the Providers Thriving Together series, part of the Thriving Project initiative. These free virtual drop-in sessions provide a facilitated space to experience camaraderie and peer support … Continued
SPRUCe | Strategies to Increase Efficiency in Pediatric Office Practice
Virtual , CanadaJoin this free online session, hosted by SPRUCe, with presenters Dr. Jennifer Kouwenberg, Pediatrician and Ashley Buswell, Doctors of BC Business Pathways Advisor. Learning objectives: Identify how team-based care can … Continued
Rural Rounds: Practical Ways to Reduce the Carbon Footprint of Rural Clinical Practice
Virtual , CanadaRural Rounds provides rural healthcare providers with up-to-date and relevant medical education through interactive Zoom presentations. If you practice or support rural communities in British Columbia, you are encouraged to … Continued
HOUSE AMB (Ambulatory Care) Course
Holiday Inn Vancouver-Centre (Broadway) 711 W. Broadway, Heather St, Vancouver, BC V5Z 3Y2, Vancouver, British Columbia, CanadaLearn how to use point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) in the rural setting with our Ultrasound for Ambulatory Care course. Topics include: bones, soft tissue, MSK, DVT, ocular, procedures. What will I learn? How to use point-of-care … Continued
MaBAL Recordings
Date | Speaker(s) | Topic |
---|---|---|
June 15 2023 MaBAL Coaching |
Joyce Totton RM |
Mastitis Recording |
June 8 2023 MaBAL Coaching |
Andrea McKenzie RN |
Review of pre-term infant feeding, transport, trauma-informed care Recording |
May 25 2023 MaBAL Coaching |
Tanya Momtazian RM |
BCCNM Standards on Indigenous Specific Racism Recording |
May 11 2023 MaBAL Coaching |
Tanya Momtazian RM |
Free birth in BC Recording |
May 4 2023 MaBAL Coaching |
Tanya Momtazian RM |
Planned home birth with Registered Midwives Recording |
Mar 30 2023 MaBAL Coaching |
Tanya Momtazian RM |
SOGC Induction of Labour Guidelines Recording |
Mar 23 2023 MaBAL Coaching |
Andrea McKenzie RN |
Prenatal Series – Part 3 – Late Preterm Feeding Case Study Recording |
Mar 16 2023 MaBAL Coaching |
Andrea McKenzie RN |
Prenatal Series – Part 2 – Feeding Cues Recording |
Mar 9 2023 MaBAL Coaching |
Andrea McKenzie RN |
Prenatal Series – Part 1 – Feeding the Late Preterm Recording |
Mar 2 2023 MaBAL Coaching |
Celina Laursen RM |
Postpartum Series – Part 3 – Newborn Exam and Variations Recording |
Feb 23 2023 MaBAL Coaching |
Celina Laursen RM |
Postpartum Series – Part 2 – Examination of Placenta Recording |
Feb 16 2023 MaBAL Coaching |
Celina Laursen RM |
Postpartum Series – Part 1 – Immediate Postpartum Recording |
Feb 9 2023 MaBAL Coaching |
Joyce Totton RM |
Medication Series – Part 3 (Postpartum) Recording |
Feb 2 2023 MaBAL Coaching |
Joyce Totton RM |
Medication Series – Part 2 (Intrapartum) Recording |
Jan 26 2023 MaBAL Coaching |
Joyce Totton RM |
Medication Series – Part 1 (Prenatal) Recording |
Jan 19 2023 MaBAL Coaching |
Tanya Momtazian RM |
Post Partum Hemorrhage Guidelines Part 2 Recording |
Jan 12 2023 MaBAL Coaching |
Tanya Momtazian RM |
Post Partum Hemorrhage Guidelines Part 1 Recording |
Dec 15 2022 MaBAL Coaching |
Andrea McKenzie RN |
Safe Sleeping Recording |
Dec 1 2022 MaBAL Coaching |
Andrea McKenzie RN |
Infant Transport Recording |
Nov 24 2022 MaBAL Coaching |
Celina Laursen RM |
NRP Basics – Positive Pressure Ventilation Recording |
Nov 17 2022 MaBAL Coaching |
Andrea McKenzie RN |
Oxytocin Titration Case Study Recording |
Nov 10 2022 MaBAL Coaching |
Celina Laursen RM |
NRP Basics – MR SOPPA Recording |
Nov 3 2022 MaBAL Coaching |
Joyce Totton RM |
Breastfeeding Part 3 – Problem-Solving Recording |
Oct 27 2022 MaBAL Coaching |
Celina Laursen RM |
NRP Basics – Equipment and Initial Assessments Recording |
Oct 20 2022 MaBAL Coaching |
Joyce Totton RM |
Breastfeeding Part 2 – Latch Recording |
June 16 2022 MaBAL Coaching |
Joyce Totton RM |
Breastfeeding Part 1 – Newborn Behaviours and Milk Changes Recording |
June 9 2022 MaBAL Coaching |
Celina Laursen RM |
Perinatal Loss Recording |
Feb 7 2022 MaBAL Coaching |
Tanya Momtazian |
PROM and GBS Management Recording |
Feb 3 2022 MaBAL Coaching |
Joyce Totton RM |
Imminent Delivery Recording |