Fort Worth health and community leaders are bringing holistic maternal resources for Black families this weekend.
For the second year in a row, the Community Healing and Mental Health Project, or CHAMP, is kicking off Black Maternal Health Week with Nurture & Thrive, an event bringing health care professionals, doulas and community organizations together.
Through the collaboration with Braver Together, Center for Transforming Lives and other local organizations, CHAMP is looking to empower the entire family with resources and education regarding maternal health.
“We know that catering to mothers is very important, because — of course — they are carrying a human being,” CHAMP executive director Lachelle Goodrich said. “But we also wanted to remove barriers and provide an empowering space for the dads or the support systems doing this particular journey.”
Looking at providing support to Black families holistically is an ask directly from the community, Braver Together executive director Shawn Lassiter said.
“All of our programming attempts to serve the human, serve the community members, serve the neighbor in a complete and holistic way,” Lassiter said.
An important aspect of the event is the embracing of brave spaces, Goodrich said. Unlike safe spaces, which emphasize comfort and care, brave spaces platform important conversations and educate people on difficult topics.
Goodrich noted the value of brave spaces in terms of teaching Black mothers and families to advocate for themselves in the health care space.
“We want to be able to provide a brave space so they can have conversations, ask questions and learn the language in order to get the proper care that they need,” Goodrich added.
If you go
What: Nurture & Thrive – A Black maternal wellness experience
When: 2-4 p.m. April 11
Where: Center for Transforming Lives, 3001 S. Riverside Drive
Admission: Register for the free event here.
At the event, families will have access to:
- Maternal and mental health resources.
- Doula support and education on birth advocacy.
- Discussions on maternal wellness and navigating health care systems.
- Gun safety education.
- Safe sleep and medication safety education.
- Family-centered activities.
- Maternal massages.
- Free diapers, wipes, Pack ’n Plays and diaper bags.
Ismael M. Belkoura is the health reporter for the Fort Worth Report. His position is supported by a grant from Texas Health Resources. Contact him at ismael.belkoura@fortworthreport.org.
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This article first appeared on Fort Worth Report and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
