Local Nonprofit Celebrates 5th Anniversary With New Name And Mission

A local nonprofit is celebrating five years of service and has announced its new name: the Oklahoma Birth Equity Initiative.

Leaders say that in their new space at 16th and Baltimore, they envision an Oklahoma in which all people are centered and respected before, during, and after pregnancy.

Since opening, they have worked to help families have healthy births with dignity and reduce disparities in maternal health care in Oklahoma.

The executive director of the Oklahoma Birth Equity Initiative, Omare Jimmerson, says minority women face a higher risk of dying from pregnancy-related issues.

In 2023, the Maternal Mortality Review Committee reported that there were 67.5 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births for Black women and 59.8 for Native women, compared to 21.2 for white women in Oklahoma.

“Over 50% of our state is a maternal health desert, and what we want to do is take birth worker services across the state and make them accessible to all women, no matter where they live," Jimmerson said. "Right now, we are fundraising to be able to take our training because we also certify doulas."

The organization offers programs like doula support and advocacy for quality hospital care.

“Some of the things that we have accomplished — currently, our preterm birth rate for the Black women we serve is similar to what we see for white women in Tulsa County,” Jimmerson said. “We are also trending that way in infant mortality for our Black moms as well, so we’re already seeing — and we’re just getting started — big, huge successes when it comes to serving Black women and our community.”

Jimmerson says their new space allows them to host events and comfortably provide educational opportunities and classes for clients.