BELLEVILLE, Ill. (First Alert 4) – A new resource center in Belleville is hoping to help address the growing maternal health care crisis in St. Clair County and beyond.
In Belleville, mothers and families lack many of the maternal health resources they need during and after pregnancy. The Doula Lab is working to address that issue and help anyone in need.
“That representation of seeing a face in a safe space that you feel comfortable in; I don’t have to have on a white coat at the moment, it’s just somebody in my community,” Charity Bean, Founder/President and CEO of the Doula Lab, exclaimed.
The minute you walk into 6608 West Main Street, the love for the community is clear.
“We’ve been born and raised here, we’ve been here all our lives,” Charisse Montgomery, a trauma-informed care advocate with the Doula Lab, explained.
But a growing issue in the community is something people there said can’t be ignored.
“This is a maternal care desert in this area,” Kyra Betts, Vice President of the Doula Lab, stated.
Seeing that struggle was what inspired this new resource center.
“Sitting at the desk saying you [a patient] drove an hour to get here, you’re over an hour, you’re a high risk. Hearing mom say I had to choose between being seen – because I’m high-risk – at this ultrasound that’s need, but I got other kids at home and if I don’t get them off the bus, or I cant afford the bus to get here… the strain on families,” Bean said.
“When you think about women who could literally be right across the street and they are looking for adequate pregnancy care, they’re probably going to St. Louis,” Betts explained. “So, at least we can serve as a place where they can get support throughout their pregnancy here within their community.”
Now, they offer a range of services.
“We cover everything from puberty to menopause,” Bean said with a laugh.
Their goal is to support not just mothers, but the family as a whole.
“Once we empower the fathers in our community to know the signs to look for, whether they’re mentally or physically, to look after their partners – and that’s some of the things that we do here – we also are empowering him to make sure he’s empowering himself, her and the entire family,” Marvella Ying Clayburne, a perinatal health worker and doula training supervisor, stated.
They hope to address the maternal health crisis not just in St. Clair County, but all across Illinois and Missouri.
“Creating a space like this, allowing everyone else in St Louis and other parts of Illinois to see what is the model space for a community resource center,” Talia Whittington, a certified nurse midwife, said. “Every community needs something like this.”
But also continue to share their love for what they do with the families and community that they serve.
“We love each other, and when you love each other, and you come together in a group in love, the community sees it, and they come out, and they support us,” Montgomery stated.
“We have to make sure that our families are whole so that our communities are whole as well,” Rhonda Smith Branch, director of perinatal and women’s mental wellness, exclaimed.
To learn more about their services or connect with the team, you can go to their website here.
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