A Santa Fe nonprofit is working to broaden birthing choices and improve healthcare for Native women in Northern New Mexico, according to an article on the Santa Fe New Mexican website.
The Changing Woman Initiative started about five years ago with a goal of opening the nation’s first Native birthing center sometime next year.
The group hopes to create a venue that integrates ancient tribal birthing practices and breaks down barriers to care for all women in a region with a high rate of poverty: limited transportation, food insecurity, lack of awareness of prenatal care and high costs.
The birth center will offer a full range of services for children and women of all ages, she said. “Every stage of a woman’s life is a transformation.”