DeAnna Tharpe
According to a CDC study, Wisconsin has the highest mortality rate for infants of non-Hispanic black women: 14.28 per 1,000 live births. Along with three other care providers, DeAnna Tharpe—a Milwaukee doula who is sensitive to issues of great concern to many women and African Americans—decided to take the initiative to offer better health and birth-related services to the community. The fruit of their work is the Women’s Health and Wellness Center (5301 W. Hampton Ave.), which celebrated its grand opening on Friday, Sept. 21, 2018.
The Wellness Center focuses on offering excellent alternative healthcare to Milwaukee-area women by providing services such as Midwifery Model of Care, doula (birth coaching), Yoni steaming (vaginal care using herbal steam) and Prenatal Care Coordination. Two months after its opening, DeAnna Tharpe agreed to answer our questions.
What lead to the creation of the Women’s Health and Wellness Center, and what are your hopes for it?
As a doula working in the community, seeing the difficulties women have making appointments and obtaining transportation to and from those appointments lead me to think: Why not create a space where providers can support the health and wellness needs of women directly within the community? Knowing African American babies are four times more likely to die before their first birthday ignites the fire inside of me, but we service women of all socioeconomic statuses. We are here to service everyone. This is a movement, not just a project; this movement is the first of its kind, and I plan to see it flourish in cities across the U.S.
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Is the decision of locating the center in the northwestern part of the city deliberate? If so, why?
I definitely deliberately located the Health and Wellness Center in the northwestern part of the city. The city of Milwaukee is the nation’s fifth most impoverished big city. What was unexpected was that I landed in the “Best Baby Zone.” In 2016, 15.4% of babies born in the 53218 zip code have low birth weight, and 14.6% are premature.
Are there specific needs of—or a lack of resources for—women of color that the center aims to address?
There’s a need for alternative health and wellness services. Our community is lacking continuity of care, inclusive healthcare and informed consent, and we, at Birthing Intuition and Wellness Services, intend to make sure we fill those gaps—making sure families feel whole when they leave our space. Educating the community is one of our biggest goals.
How much does it cost for clients to be taken care of at the center?
Midwives accept BadgerCare and private insurance, and we work with each family to make sure they have access. Nobody will be denied care because of financial restraints.
Has the center been a success so far?
Even now, most people are still “in awe” of the services we provide and the realization that there are alternative options to conventional medicine. The local community has been so supportive, but we still have a long road ahead of us. I’m just so thankful for the providers’ support and belief in my vision.
