Community-Supported and Doula-Assisted Birth: A Path to Birth Equity (11:00 AM - 11:20 AM)
Speaker: Venice Cotton - For The Village Inc
A history of racism and discrimination has crafted a healthcare system at odds with black people. In the US, Black birthing people are 2-3 times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes. Black birthing people also suffer disproportionately from perinatal mood & anxiety disorders. For the Village (FTV) is committed to improving birth outcomes through doula-assisted birth, postpartum support, and education. Created in response to the need for affordable doula care that is both trauma and culturally informed, For the Village (FTV) offers free doula services to San Diego County with an emphasis on people of color, LGBTQIA and low-income families. We believe in equitable access to care and education as a tool for liberation and empowerment. Our session will highlight the impact of community-supported and doula-assisted births on birth outcomes. Additionally, we will cover best practices for impacting birth equity with culturally comprehensive and trauma-informed care.
Learning Objectives
- Learn about birth outcomes in San Diego
- Understand the importance of Trauma Informed Care for birthing people
- Increase knowledge of the importance of culturally competent healthcare
Walk This Way! Empowering Everyone in the Community to Make Safe Streets a Reality (11:40 AM - 12:00 PM)
Speaker: Carlisle Dockery - Circulate San Diego
Circulate San Diego is a local nonprofit organization working to create excellent mobility choices and vibrant, healthy neighborhoods. As part of this mission, Circulate’s planning team often visits schools and community groups across San Diego County to lead walking field trips for people of all ages. Participants travel around the school or neighborhood on foot using a map-based data collection tool to identify safety concerns, gaps, and strengths in pedestrian and bicycle networks.
In this breakout session, Circulate will provide a quick course on how to use free and accessible online resources to plan and execute your very own walking field trip, with everything from how to choose a route and build a data collection tool to which elements of street design to look out for when determining safety. Walking field trips are a fun and engaging way to get students and neighbors involved in a variety of topics, including urban planning, transportation engineering, data collection and communication, journalism, community advocacy, and local government.
Learning Objectives
- Ways to advocate for street enhancement at the neighborhood level
- How to organize a walking field trip/audit
- Understand free tools available for map-making and data gathering