Expectant mothers in the Valley are finding support and community through pregnancy groups, offering assistance and camaraderie during this significant phase of life.
Improving Maternal Health for African American Women in Fresno
The BLACK Wellness and Prosperity Center in Downtown Fresno, California, is making strides in addressing the disparities in maternal health experienced by African American women. This community hub, located at Calaveras and L streets, is a beacon of support for expecting mothers, offering a unique blend of education, health assessment, and peer support.
The Center's 10-week sessions, led by Brittany Mbong, a certified nurse-midwife, and Ta-She-Ra Manning, a doula, aim to build a sense of community among expecting mothers. These sessions, which last for two hours, discuss various topics such as fetal development, self-advocacy, and social determinants of health.
Each session begins with a vital check for the mothers, ensuring their well-being is a priority. The Center uses a simulation room to teach new moms, providing a hands-on learning experience. Education is a key focus at the BLACK Wellness and Prosperity Center, as it has been shown to decrease pre-term birth and increase satisfaction with the birthing experience.
The Center's support group is open to any expecting moms living in Fresno, welcoming them at all pregnancy gestational ages. The program is designed to prevent preventable childbirth deaths among Black women and babies, a goal that Brittany Mbong passionately advocates for.
In addition to community-based peer education and medical support, the BLACK Wellness and Prosperity Center is also involved in policy advocacy. One of its recent successes includes helping increase state Medi-Cal reimbursement rates for doulas, nearly doubling previous rates. This policy win supports better access to doula care, which is known to improve maternal health outcomes.
The Center is often described as a circle of sisters or a circle of women coming together to support one another. For more news updates, follow Ana Torrea on Facebook, Instagram, and other platforms. The BLACK Wellness and Prosperity Center's future goal is to bring prenatal care to the center, further expanding its services to the community.
The BLACK Wellness and Prosperity Center fosters a sound environment for health-and-wellness and scientific advancements, as they delve into culturally sensitive approaches and research in maternal health among African American women. By incorporating topics such as self-advocacy and social determinants of health in their 10-week sessions, they aim to create evidence-based practices to decrease preterm birth and enhance health outcomes through science and community support.
