Open Arms Perinatal Services held their annual luncheon last week at the Westin in downtown Seattle. Well-connected individuals and families reconnected in what was obviously a room full of movers and shakers. Penny Simkin was one such mover and shaker in attendance—the doula namesake of the Simkin Center for Allied Birth Vocations at Bastyr University—as were many families served by the volunteer doulas of Open Arms.

For those of us newly acquainted with Open Arms, Executive Director Sheila Capestany was kind enough to enlighten us. Open Arms works with families who, because of income, linguistic, ethnic, or racial barriers, are unable to access support during pregnancy and postpartum. In addition to traditional doula support, they’ve partnered with the White Center Early Learning Initiative to provide  ongoing “outreach” doula services, which extends well past the prenatal and birth period—for up to two years after baby’s born!

Fortunately for our community, Open Arms works to facilitate culturally appropriate perinatal care for women and focuses on decreasing the infant mortality rates of those most disproportionately affected—Native American, African American, and Latina women. In keeping with an old adage, healthy moms and healthy babies mean healthy communities.

Here at YWCA Healthy Birth Outcomes, we have a similar philosophy. It’s our hope that race no longer determines which children live and which do not. Open Arms is remarkably successful at reaching out to the women and families in our community, ensuring their empowerment into parenthood, and valuing the place of each child has in our city.

Blog post written by YWCA Healthy Birth Outcomes Community Outreach Specialist Emelia Udd.