NDoula Community Alliance

Mission

NDoula Community Alliance is a community building organization addressing quality of life gaps within Chicago communities by increasing access to patient-centered, equitable, integrative healthcare. We approach health equity with a specifically inclusive, trauma-informed, and violence prevention lens. NDoula works to build a Chicago where all patients and birthing people benefit from informed decision making among a culturally reflective care team.

We highlight social, healing, and reproductive justice by addressing access to and creating unique wrap around resources that aim to strengthen networks of support.

NDoula’s many projects seek to lift the lives and experiences of marginalized groups to center our happiness, autonomy, and joy.

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Women-Led Leadership

Our team has an intimate knowledge of holistic & integrative care, abolitionism in healthcare, patient advocacy, home visiting, and community participatory engagement. We are keenly aware of the barriers to access that our communities face. This perspective catalyzes our innovative and sustainable approach.

Our NDCA Leadership is made up completely of volunteers. Combined, our Board of Directors and Executive Staff are currently 100% women, 100% healthcare and/or social service workers, and 67% Black.

Impact

The NDoula Mentorship community partners with people 18 years and over that identify as being part of a marginalized community or are working in healthcare or birthwork to provide culturally reflective, long term, and reliable relationships. Currently, 73% of our mentees identify as Black, and 16% Latine. Mentees direct their goal setting, while mentors help strategize means to accomplish them.

We apprentice/train mentees who are interested in becoming mentors, and provide referrals for those requiring other culturally reflective mentors.

Why NDoula? Why Now?

North America is facing a reproductive health crisis. Although 80% of these deaths are preventable, maternal mortality is twice as high in the USA as Canada. Black women are 3 times more likely to die in childbirth, and in Chicago, this risk increases to 6 times the rate of white maternal mortality. Black babies also face the highest infant mortality rates.

This crisis is worsened by limited access to mental health care for Black adults, and a lack of naturopathic care options in Illinois. At the same time, our dwindling healthcare system’s resistance to value and integrate holistic treatment options makes licensure for naturopathic medicine in Illinois is unavailable, and further disadvantage communities that could benefit from care that centers patients’ voices and intuition. These disparities have long-lasting impacts on quality of life, family planning, and achievement.

NDoula is committed to working with communities to change this. We stand for the protection, safety, autonomy, and satisfaction of Black perinatal people and all vulnerable patients. Through offering patient-centered, reflective, informed care and advocacy, we help write a different story for Chicago. Birth should not be a source of fear. With the right support and systems change, it can be a catalyst for healing justice.