Leseliey Welch, a former Detroit public health worker, launched two initiatives to provide BIPOC mothers and their newborns the proper care to save their lives.
Birth Center Equity is the first initiative that partners with birth centers around the U.S., operated by people of color, providing them with operational and capital funding. Welch founded the foundation in April 2020 during the pandemic, administered around $1.1 million, and had funds to help establish birth centers in Colorado and Washington.
In addition to birth centers, Welch incorporated midwives and doulas into the centers to ensure expectant mothers get vital elements of maternity care.
According to her interview with Forbes, Welch’s goal is to accumulate $100 million over ten years.
“Sixty million dollars could open the 19 birth centers in development and put 11 more in a position they don’t have to lose money to serve their communities.”
The second initiative is called Birth Detroit. While Birth Detroit can’t deliver babies due to unfinished construction, they offer midwives and perinatal care.
“Part of its commitment is that no one in need of services will be turned away,” Welch said.
Hospitals can be effective in regards to ensuring expectant mothers and their babies receive medical care. But with high infant mortality rates among Blacks, some people of color feel uneasy about risking their and their babies’ lives by giving birth in a hospital that operated on the American healthcare system. According to the CDC, infant mortality rates are 2.3 times more common in Blacks than whites.
Welch got firsthand experience with infant mortality after her sister-in-law lost her preterm baby soon after giving birth in the hospital. Welch had a late-term miscarriage and birthed a preterm baby, who survived. The two initiatives she co-founded are her steps into changing the statistic.
Mothers will receive proper medical assistance and emotional and mental support with Birth Center Equity and Birth Detroit.
“Birth centers and midwives see birth as a normal physiological life process that does not normally require medical intervention and surgery,” Welch said. “Research supports that 80% to 87% of us can safely give birth with midwives in a community setting. But, in the U.S., we do the exact opposite, and that’s not an accident.”
Welch partnered with Full Spectrum Capital Partners to keep the birth centers operating and avoid the constant need to fundraise.
