Two New Midwives at Hospital

MGH’s new Midwives Katie Bussard and Jennifer Baumstark. Photo courtesy Kala Bishaw-Juario.

MGH News Release

Molokai General Hospital (MGH) would like to officially welcome two new certified Nurse Midwives, Jennifer Baumstark and Katie Bussard. They bring to Molokai a plethora of education, knowledge and experience. We are confident that they will meet and exceed the expectations of the patients they serve here at the Women’s Health Center.

Jennifer Baumstark graduated from Illinois State University with a bachelor’s degree in biology and chemistry. She continued her education at Mennonite College of Nursing, after which she received her master’s degree from the University of Illinois-Chicago. Over the past 20 years, she has worked in all areas of midwifery. However, after working in a hospital that delivered an average of 22 babies a day, Jennifer had a desire to focus more on individualized patient care. She hopes to give time, devotion and encouragement to each woman she encounters, regardless of their circumstance.

Katie Bussard graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Nursing from Winston-Salem University in 2000. She worked in maternity and emergency room nursing for 11 years. In 2010, she graduated from Frontier Nursing University –the birthplace of midwifery and advanced practice nursing in the U.S. –with a master’s degree concentrating on Nurse-Midwifery. Before moving with her family to Molokai, Katie worked with Native Americans on a Navajo Reservation in Arizona, blending traditional birthing practices with modern medicine to deliver family-centric midwifery care. Katie understands the personal care and support a midwife offers expectant mothers from first-hand experience.

“It is my hope to provide the same personalized, high-quality and evidence-based care to the women I service every day,” she said. “I am grateful and honored to be given the privilege of serving the women and families of Molokai.”