Cindy McMillan, Executive Director; Nikita Smart, Doula Coordinator;
Wakina Robertson, Referral Specialist. Photo: Renato Rotolo/The Urban News
Every year in this country, 700 to 900 women die from pregnancy or childbirth-related causes, and some 65,000 women suffer severe complications.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 60% of maternal deaths in this country are preventable.
The United States has one of the worst maternal death rates of any developed country, where African American women are three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy complications independent of age, parity, or education. In fact, these types of maternal health disparities don’t end with African American mothers. The predominant issue comes down to medical equity and access to quality health and maternity care, which often extends to the baby before and after it has been born.
In Buncombe County, the infant mortality aggregate rate gradually increased from 5.2 deaths/1,000 live births in 2011 to 7.2 deaths/1,000 live births in 2015. During this time, the founders of Sistas Caring 4 Sistas (SC4S) were emotionally impacted by the statistics of infant and maternal outcomes for women who looked like them.
Several of the founders personally experienced the same inequities and traumas described by other women of color during childbirth and set about earning their Doula training certificates in 2016. Thus, Sistas Caring 4 Sistas Inc., 501c3, was created, designed, and co-founded as Asheville, North Carolina’s first ever African American women-led doula program. The founder felt that even though they were trained as birth professionals, it was still a field that is marketed as a luxury service for some.
Their doula services uniquely support birthing individuals. Whether a birthing family…
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