OVERVIEW OF MATERNAL-CHILD-HEALTH IMMERSIVE BUS TOUR
On Day 2 of The 2023 Motown Experience: Birth & Breastfeeding Conference, enjoy a maternal child health immersive experience like never before. Participate in site visits to several of Motown’s traditional and non-traditional maternal child health service providers that are having strong impacts and positive outcomes for mothers and babies. See innovative models, tour sites and learn from program staff and participants about their birth and breastfeeding practices. The tour concludes with a photo op at the historic and newly renovated Motown Museum: Home of Hitsville U.S.A.
Learn more about the conference.
Black Mothers’ Breastfeeding Association’s (BMBFA) is a 501(c)3 non-profit with a mission to reduce racial inequities in breastfeeding support. The mission is carried out byway of Direct Service, Education, Advocacy, and Maternal Child Health Technology. BMBFA, a community-based organization in Detroit, MI, is known for amplifying community voice and integrating the lived experiences of Black persons into its program design and execution. BMBFA is highly regarded as a field builder locally, statewide and nationwide. BMBFA’s signature work, Black Mothers’ Breastfeeding Club, has run without interruption for 15 years in Detroit and is replicated throughout the nation. BMBFA is an innovator and field leader; mastermind of the Birth & Breastfeeding Leadership Institute; creator of a Community-based Doula School, nationally accredited by HealthConnect One and licensed by the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs; and high-tech innovator of the BMBFA B’Right Hub, the virtual community for parent clubs. Amongst other distinguished work and awards, BMBFA served as a contributing expert for the Center for Disease Control and Prevention by providing recommendations for the U.S. Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding; awardee of 2 Spirit of Detroit awards by the mayor and city council; and a recipient of a Special Tribute from the State of Michigan for health equity leadership.
Birth Detroit’s mission is to midwife safe, quality, loving care through pregnancy, birth and beyond. One of the newest community-centered solutions is Birth Detroit. Birth Detroit embraces a community organizing approach to birth center development, rooted in deep equity and meaningful partnerships.
The Community Builders (TCB) is a leading nonprofit developer of mixed-income housing in the U.S. Their mission is to build and sustain strong communities where all people can thrive. The Community Life Program is TCB’s place-based model that uses healthy and stable housing as a platform for connecting residents to community resources and opportunities so they can thrive.
The Great Divine Center was opened by Kymaletha Brown, a clinical mental health therapist, hypnobirthing educator, certified labor and birth doula, placenta encapsulation specialist and breastfeeding peer counselor on Detroit’s East Side. Kymaletha opened the center to provide the community with a woman’s wraparound health care space with an emphasis on mental health. The Center offers a variety of services including community resources, free access to baby items, pregnancy and postpartum support, dance, yoga and meditation classes. The center is the home to Goddess Great (nonprofit), through which runs programs for pregnant women and children. They also have a children’s play room on site for women to receive services while their children have a safe place to play.
SisterFriends Detroit is a volunteer effort run by The City of Detroit to support healthier women and babies by providing support, services and resources to those who are pregnant and their families until their baby’s first birthday. SisterFriends Detroit is a community movement to create a circle of care around Detroit families. SisterFriends Detroit works to improve birth outcomes and infant mortality rates in Detroit by connecting caring and compassionate mentors to women who are pregnant.
The tour concludes with a photo op at the historic and newly renovated Motown Museum: Home of Hitsville U.S.A. 