Join dozens of businesses in Los Angeles County that have pledged to be a designated Safe Space for mothers and birthing persons to feed their babies. Fill in your information below, and we can provide you with a window decal, tabletop tent(s), or poster to place in your business* and add you to our Safe Space directory

Your support helps create a healthy and joyous start to Black babies’ lives by joining us in our mission to ensure that every space is a Safe Space for Black women/birthing persons to breast/chestfeed. 

*While supplies are available.

REAL TALK. REAL OPTIONS.

Healthy and joyous birthing outcomes are supported with early planning. AAIMM believes that your body belongs to you and it’s your right to have empathetic and  non-judgemental conversations with your healthcare provider about your sexual and reproductive needs — whether you plan to become pregnant or want to wait. 

Real Talk. Real Options. is a campaign developed by the LA County Department of Public Health’s AAIMM Initiative and Essential Access Health. It is focused on encouraging and normalizing pregnancy intention conversations between patients and providers that are open, safe, and patient-centered. 

Keep the conversation going about sexual and reproductive health.

RESOURCES

• Essential Access Health
• Bedsider
• LA County Department of Public Health’s Abortion Safe Haven 
• Black Women for Wellness Pregnancy Resources

HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS

Do you have patients of reproductive age? Join our Village to support healthy and joyous Black births! Together, we can improve reproductive health care for Black mothers and birthing persons. 

Whether they’re preparing for pregnancy or want to wait, start the conversation early. 

WHAT DOES REAL TALK. REAL OPTIONS. DO?

• Promotes and encourages patient-centered conversations about reproductive goals with Black patients/clients of reproductive age
• Helps reduce the rates of Black infant and maternal deaths
• Champions and promotes quality sexual and reproductive health care for all
  
  

Adequate healthcare is not enough to end disparities in birthing outcomes. Providers must deliver respectful, culturally-attuned care and communication with Black patients/clients of reproductive age.

P.A.T.H.: PATIENT-CENTERED HEALTH SCREENING

We use the P.A.T.H. (Pregnancy / Parent Attitude / Timing / How Important) patient screening model to help identify reproductive goals and help build trust between the patient and provider. 

The purpose of P.A.T.H. is to:

• Support the patient’s reproductive autonomy

• Help people gain clarity about what they want in terms of reproduction so they can make choices that are aligned with their goals

• Build rapport by letting them know you are listening

• Connect patient to referrals (contraception, preconception, fertility)

P.A.T.H. CONVERSATIONS

Use this P.A.T.H. Flow Chart to help facilitate client-centered discussions about reproductive goals. P.A.T.H. can be used with clients of any gender, sexual orientation, or age.

Here are some sample P.A.T.H. conversations to see how you can use this model to discuss preconception care, contraception, and fertility (as appropriate) with your patients. 

BECOME A CAMPAIGN CHAMPION OR PARTNER

Would you like to support our campaign’s mission? Become a Campaign Champion or Partner by filling out this form. We’ll send you information about provider training and share campaign materials and other ways you can become a Real Talk. Real Options. leader in your community. 

Feel free to share this website link with your Village of clinicians and patients. Follow @blackinfantsandfamiliesla on Instagram for updates and use #RealTalkRealOptions, and #GrowtheVillage to share your stories with us.

“The honor is mine to give generational sister-to-sister support to Andrea’s family.”

“It is vital for Black babies to receive their mama's breast milk as their optimum feeding choice.”

A joyful rallying cry of supporting, protecting, and welcoming Black Breast/Chestfeeding was heard throughout South Los Angeles on Saturday, August 28, as members and friends of the African American Infant and Maternal Mortality (AAIMM) Prevention Initiative took to the streets for Soul Food For Your Baby’s 2nd annual Black Breastfeeding Matters Walk. The walk was one of several events that took place during the AAIMM Prevention Initiative’s Black Breast/Chestfeeding Week campaign (August 25-31) which was co-sponsored by the South Los Angeles/South Bay AAIMM Community Action Team (Family-Centered Models of Care Workgroup), First 5 LA and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Event sponsors also included Black Women for Wellness and the Mu Chi Chapter Chi Eta Phi. 

A new report from the California Pregnancy Mortality Surveillance System (CA-PMSS) project was recently released, providing information on California’s pregnancy-related deaths (including those up to one year after the end of pregnancy) occurring from 2008 through 2016. This is the first report from CA-PMSS—a project of the Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health (MCAH) Division of the California Department of Public Health which began in 2018. The Pregnancy-Related Mortality Ratio (PRMR) generated from CA-PMSS is becoming widely adopted as a more accurate measure of maternal deaths than the Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR).

What is a Doula?

Doulas are professional childbirth companions who provide emotional support, physical comfort, education, and advocacy to women and birthing persons during pregnancy, childbirth, and the newborn period. Doula support can reduce medical interventions, including c-sections, improve your mood and satisfaction with your birth experience, and increase your breastfeeding success!

Please sign up for your newsletter or follow us on social media for enrollment updates.

🌟The AAIMM Doula Program is Award-Winning!

Our program was recently nationally recognized as an innovative, effective county government program that strengthens services for residents. Read the Press Release.

🌟CONGRATULATIONS TO THE AAIMM DOULA PROGRAM. The AAIMM Doula Program was awarded the Productivity and Quality Award by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors!

MARCH OF DIMES POSITION STATEMENT DOULAS AND BIRTH OUTCOMES

Summary and Purpose

Consistent with its mission to fight for the health of all moms and babies, March of Dimes issued a July 2018 Position Statement on Maternal Mortality and Morbidity , released a report on maternity care deserts, and is developing an approach to address the “poor quality and differential care” that contributes to the higher rates of maternal morbidity and mortality experienced by women of color.1 This interim Position Statement on Doulas and Birth Outcomes will be part of a broader March of Dimes approach to these issues that is under development. It provides evidence and guidance to support March of Dimes participation in advocacy efforts related to doula care as they arise nationally and locally. It also can serve as an education tool about the importance of doulas as a part of the birth team.

In summary, this document states that:

• March of Dimes supports increased access to doula care as one tool to help improve birth outcomes and reduce the higher rates of maternal morbidity and mortality among women of color in the United States.

• March of Dimes supports increased access to doula care as one tool to help improve birth outcomes and reduce the higher rates of maternal morbidity and mortality among women of color in the United States.

• March of Dimes advocates for all payers to provide coverage for doula services.

• March of Dimes recognizes the importance of increased training, support and capacity development for doulas, including doulas from racially, ethnically, socioeconomically and culturally diverse communities.

 Read the full article here!

How Can I Sign Up for an AAIMM Doula?

Frequently Asked Questions

"It takes a village to raise a child," the African proverb states, and activation of that village begins before birth. In an effort to support healthy and joyous births for Black mommies, families and babies, we’re offering a FREE downloadable “Activating the Village” guide full of tips and resources for each of the trimesters comprising the prenatal period and the first three months after the baby is born (the “fourth trimester”).

We strongly believe that healthy and joyous births do not happen alone. They require an entire community of support—that means not just family and friends, but also neighbors, healthcare workers, educators, and colleagues. Everyone who influences the environment in which children are born and raised can contribute to and support the next generation being healthy, safe and happy.

Please use this guide to create and engage your own Village, and to provide as a resource for anyone who may need it. We also encourage you to share the link to the guide on your social media channels using #WeAreTheVillage. Together, we can work toward equity in birthing outcomes for all.

First Trimester Weeks 1-13

[Download PDF]

[Download JPG]

Second Trimester Weeks 14-27

[Download PDF]

[Download JPG]

Third Trimester Weeks 28-40

[Download PDF]

[Download JPG]

Fourth Trimester - 90 days after birth

[Download PDF]

[Download JPG]

All Trimesters

Tips for every trimester

[Download PDF] 

Join Us For

Black Maternal Health Week April 11th-17th!

LA COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS PROCLAIMS APRIL 11-17 AS BLACK MATERNAL HEALTH WEEK AND APRIL 16 AS THE DAY OF THE BLACK INFANT

Motion aims to bring attention to birth justice and the importance of reducing the Black maternal and infant mortality rates in Los Angeles

(Los Angeles County, CA) Today, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors passed a motion recognizing April 11-17 as Black Maternal Health Week. The motion, brought forward by LA County District 2 Supervisor, Holly Mitchell, is a win for the county’s African American Infant and Maternal Mortality Prevention Initiative (AAIMM), its Steering Committee and Community Action Teams. Launched in late 2018, AAIMM is a coalition of the LA County Alliance for Health Integration (Departments of Mental Health, Public Health, and Health Services), First 5 LA, community organizations, mental and health care providers, funders, and community members.

The AAIMM Initiative mission is to end the unacceptably high rates of Black infant and maternal deaths in Los Angeles County and ensure access to healthy and joyous births for Black families. AAIMM approaches its work by recognizing racism as a root cause of birth inequities faced by the Black community. Black Maternal Health Week was introduced and led nationally by Black Mamas Matter Alliance four years ago and brought to Los Angeles by Black Women for Wellness.

Click here to access the press release. 

WHAT'S HAPPENING THIS WEEK

WEDNESDAY APRIL 14TH

Noon

- Black Women for Wellness Present: Kitchen Divas Special Edition

THURSDAY APRIL 15TH

11am - 12:15pm

Floor 101 - The Children's Collective Inc. Black Infant Health Program

Zoom: Meeting ID: 879 4893 3901, Passcode: TCCIBIH

12pm - 1pm

County Lunch & Learn: Claiming our power, resilience and liberation: Shifting the narrative from statistics to solutions to improve Black maternal health

Register at: https://marchofdimes.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_zR46M4FdQxy0JxiUNNkaKA

Lunchtime conversation on shifting the narrative on Black maternal health from disparities data to community-driven policy, program and care solutions that center Black mothers and improve outcomes.

• Jan Robinson Flint (Black Women for Wellness)
• Khefri Riley (Frontline Doulas)
• Stephanie Bryant (Riverside University Health System-Public Health)
• Angie Dixon-Hamlett (Black Infant Health Long Beach)
• Mashariki Kudumu (March of Dimes-moderator)

2:30pm - 4pm

Celebrating our Health, in a Joyous Way! Hosted by Cinnamoms

To Register: www.cinnamoms.org

6pm -7:30pm

In collaboration with Pasadena Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. and San Gabriel Valley Links, Inc.: Building the Village to Support Black Birthing Families

Roundtable discussion with clinicians, birth workers, advocates, fathers and grandmothers to raise awareness, identify resources and mobilize action to decrease morbidity and mortality for Black women and babies.

• LaTanya Hines: OB/GYN; Association of Black Women Physicians & Kaiser
• Sister Minister Loretta Randle: grandmother, community advocate, wisdom keeper; When 1000 Grandmother's Pray Prayer Advocacy & BestStart4BlackBabies Initiative
• Valencia Walker: neonatologist/Diversity & Equity Officer; Association of Black Women Physicians &Nationwide Children’s Hospital
• Wenonah Valentine: grandmother, mentor, wisdom keeper, CEO and Founder; iDREAM for Racial Health Equity
• Jason Dawson: father, advocate, health equity leader; L.A. County  Center for Health Equity, AAIMM SLA/SB Community Action Team
• Michelle Sanders: mother, doula; L.A. County AAIMM Doula Program
• Crystal Yelverton (moderator)

Join at:  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9035965996

FRIDAY APRIL 16TH

9:45am - 10:45am

AV Day of the Black Infant and Day of Remembrance

11:00am

- Black Family Resource Drive presented by Black Infant Health Long Beach

Noon

- Kitchen Divas: Fertility & Womb Wellness

APRIL 16-17 BLACK MAMAS MATTER CONFERENCE

Founded and led by the Black Mamas Matter Alliance (BMMA), the Black Maternal Health Conference (BMHC) is the premiere assembly for Black women, clinicians, professionals, advocates, and other stakeholders working to improve maternal health using the birth justice, reproductive justice, and human rights frameworks. This year’s virtual conference will offer a national space for learning, rich discussions, and mobilization to transform Black maternal health, rights, and justice. We need a place to be in community together, to vision and dream, and to celebrate each other.

Register HERE

SATURDAY APRIL 17TH

10:00am

- Baby Bundle & Drive-Thru Toy Drive

PAST EVENTS..

SUNDAY APRIL 11TH

Opening Ceremonies 

3:30pm

- Sista Soul Sunday: A Spiritual Soul Session

5:00pm

- Black Women for Wellness Present: Kitchen Divas

8:30pm

- Big Momma's Money: Financial Well-Being Seminar

MONDAY APRIL 12TH

8:30am

- BLACK MATERNAL HEALTH WEEK VIRTUAL PRESS BRIEFING

10:00am

- Birth Story gatherings for postpartum Black moms who birthed at Cedars-Sinai (morning session)

Noon

- March of Dimes: Reclaiming our Power, Resilience, and Liberation

2:00pm

- March of Dimes - Amplify Black Birthing Experience with Kimberly Seals Allers

6:00pm

- Birth Story gatherings for postpartum Black moms who birthed at Cedars-Sinai (evening session)

TUESDAY APRIL 13TH

Noon

- AV Doula Panel Discussion

1:00pm

- THE VILLAGE SPEAKS: BMHW 2021 Events

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Help bring more people to your events by posting them to the public calendar. 

Share what is happening in your community by posting a local story. It takes just a few minutes!

Join the movement to end the injustice of Black infant and mom deaths in LA County.

For more information email: [email protected]

Upcoming Events: 

SGV AAIMM CAT VIRTUAL TEAM MEETING - SEPT 25

Past Events: 

Join the movement in the Antelope Valley to end the injustice of Black infant and mom deaths in LA County.

Mission:

Ensure the safety and support of African American moms, babies, and families by providing advocacy, compassion, education, resources, justice, accessibility, and eliminating racial disparities in the community and ensuring access to reliable, unbiased care and support services that maintain equality, honesty, trust, and cultural accountability.

Vision:

AV AAIMM CAT strives to create a safe, empowering, supportive, and culturally aware community for African American families to make an informed choice. The birth journey, from prenatal to postpartum, will consist of equality, justice, advocacy, mental health services, social support safety and accessibility for all family members involved.

For more information or to join the AV Community Action Team, email: [email protected] or [email protected] or fill out the form below.

Antelope Valley Events

Upcoming Events:

Past Events:

JOIN THE MOVEMENT TO END THE INJUSTICE OF BLACK INFANT AND MOM DEATHS IN LA COUNTY.

Join our African American Infant and Maternal Mortality Community Action Team!

Email: 

Aqueelah Russell

[email protected]

Backbone/Community Co-lead

[email protected]

UPCOMING EVENTS: 

Coming Soon

PAST EVENTS: 

NEWS: 

San Fernando & Santa Clarita Valleys COVID-19 Panel: A Vaccine Conversation For African American Families - EVENT RECAP 

Wednesday, February 17th, 2021 from 10am-12pm

During this event we discussed concerns and explored options related to the COVID-19 vaccine with a panel of local medical and legal experts. It was an opportunity for our community to ask questions in a safe space. Panelists included:

•         Valley Presbyterian Hospital

•         General Counsel, Tamala Choma Esq.

•         Director of Women’s Services, Marcia Lynch, RN, MSN

•         Los Angeles County Department of Public Health – Tina Franco, MPH, Health Educator

•         September Williams, MD, Physician-Writer & Bioethicist

•         Kaiser Permanente – Sharon K. Okonkwo-Holmes, MD. Family Physician and Physician Lead for the Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity Council

Panel discussion was moderated by Aqueelah Russell from Northeast Valley WIC

View the event recap below: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZay2RoJ1eU

JOIN THE MOVEMENT TO END THE INJUSTICE OF BLACK INFANT AND MOM DEATHS IN LA COUNTY.

ABOUT SLA/SB CAT

The South Los Angeles/South Bay African American Infant and Maternal Mortality Community Action Team (CAT) is a collaborative partnership between the Los Angeles County Health Agency, community-based organizations, health care providers, community residents, faith-based organizations, and community businesses united in one purpose: to end African American/Black infant and maternal mortality in the South Los Angeles/South Bay community.

Mission Statement

To reduce African American/Black infant and maternal mortality in South Los Angeles/South Bay by addressing the impact of racism, catalyzing community action, and promoting wellness and equitable healthcare strategies for African American/Black families.

Vision Statement

We strive to create systemic change to ensure that every African American/Black woman, infant, child, and man lives wholly and thrives; is treated with dignity and respect, and has access to unbiased, humane, and equitable services that support and enhance their health and well-being.

Contact SLA/SB CAT:

Adjoa Jones at [email protected] and Cheryl Branch at [email protected]

UPCOMING EVENTS: 

SLASB AAIMM Bi-Monthly Regional Meeting

From Pain to Power: A Postpartum Mental Health Convening on Storytelling and Policy Change

NEWS:

PAST EVENTS: