“Arkansas Week – Doulas: Supporting Mothers, Babies and Families" highlights the collaborative efforts of organizations across Arkansas working to improve maternal and infant health. Featured guests represent Ujima Maternity Network, Arkansas Birthing Partners & Family Power Hub, Doula Alliance of Arkansas, the UAMS Institute for Community Health Innovation, and Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas. Among them is Ujima Maternity Network, which aims to provide professional, holistic and culturally aligned care to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) mothers and families in Arkansas.
Ujima aims to provide professional, holistic and culturally aligned care to Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) mothers and families in Arkansas.
“Arkansas Week” airs July 31 and is now one hour. You can watch live at 6 p.m. on broadcast or on YouTube at YouTube.com/@arkansastv.
Addressing the Arkansan Maternal Mortality Crisis – Impact on BIPOC Communities
The CDC ranks Arkansas as the fourth worst state for maternal mortality. In 2022, Arkansas reported Black women as representing 29.1% of pregnancy-associated deaths, despite only representing 19.4% of births in the state. These numbers are linked to lack of access to quality medical care and holistic, culturally aligned support.
Ujima Maternity Network works to fill these needs by providing BIPOC mothers access to maternity resources, and specifically by developing Arkansas’ doulas. Studies show that cesarean rates were significantly reduced for doula-supported mothers, with cases of induced labor reduced from 58.8% to 12.5%. Doula-supported mothers were observed to be less likely to use epidural /pain medication during labor, have shorter stage 2 of labor, and had earlier onset of lactation.
Ujima’s Resources – Doulas and Beyond
Ujima’s doulas are trained to advocate for underrepresented mothers, protect them from medical bias, navigate them through intergenerational dynamics, traditions and histories, and break cycles of trauma surrounding birth and motherhood. Their attention is focused and personal, so that underserved mothers get quality support through pregnancy, birth and postpartum. Ujima’s doula training and accreditation programs are endorsed by the Arkansas Department of Health.
Beyond doula resources, Ujima’s programs include Maternal Care Community Outreach (MCCO), social support groups through Sista Circle, and paternal education through Fatherhood in Focus. Ujima collaborates with maternal health organizations across the state, including but not limited to UAMS, which we will also highlight in this week’s program. For more information on Ujima and UAMS’s partnership, visit this article on their latest doula training program.
Featured “Arkansas Week” Panelists
- Nicolle Fletcher – Co-founder, Visionary and Executive Director, Ujima Maternity Network
- Hannah McHardy – Senior Director of Programs, UAMS Institute for Community Health Innovation
- Sylvia Halliburton – Founder/CEO, Arkansas Birthing Partners & Family Power Hub
- Liyah Wasson – Executive Director & Co-founder, Doula Alliance of Arkansas
- Whitney Tolbert – Vice President of Women's and Children's Services, Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas
- Felicia Fletcher – Sister Friend, Russellville, AR
- Stacey Armstrong – Arkansas Birthing Project Branch Leader for Pope, Yell and Johnson counties
Learn More
- Ujima Maternity Network
- UAMS Institute for Community Health Innovation
- UAMS Doula Training
- Doula Alliance of Arkansas
- Arkansas Birthing Partners & Family Power Hub
- Hospital Doula Integration Toolkit
- Mercy
- March of Dimes Report Card
How to Watch
Watch “Arkansas Week” on Friday, July 31, at 6 p.m. live on broadcast or on YouTube at YouTube.com/@arkansastv.