Two midwives in New Mexico are fundraising and conducting research to launch the first Native American birthing center in the U.S., according to a report from ColorLines.
Nicolle Gonzales, a Navajo certified nurse midwife, and Brittany Simplicio, a Navajo/Zuni midwife, have been fundraising for the past year to launch Changing Woman Initiative, the nonprofit that will operate the birthing center. It will offer Native American women a culturally focused alternative to Indian Health Services, which is underfunded and often requires women to transfer to Medicaid for childbirth, according to the report. It is also distrusted by many women after it conducted widespread sterilization without consent in the 1970s.
Ms. Gonzales told ColorLines she hopes the Changing Woman Initiative can also help address health disparities among Native women.
The center is still at least three years from completion, according to the report. Ms. Gonzales and Ms. Simplicio are still in the fundraising, research and planning phase of the project. Donate to their GoFundMe page here and learn more about their work here.
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