To the editor

   (Plain Press, November 2023) As one of the people featured in the recent article “Mural at St. Paul’s honors community members for their efforts to build a caring community”, I want to say how surprised and pleased I was to find and read this article.  Author Chuck Hoven was listening carefully and reported on each-and-every person who spoke, and I thank him for this. 

   However, I want to make one correction regarding the information highlighted from my speech.  When speaking of positive responses to the current maternal and infant crisis for black women and their babies, I mentioned a local black doula group, not Abdulla groups.  I understand that not everyone knows what a doula is – a doula is a person (usually a woman) who supports pregnant women through pregnancy, labor and birth and even postpartum.  I was specifically speaking about Birthing Beautiful Communities  https://www.birthingbeautiful.org/, which is a black led doula service that works with mostly black women in the heart of Cleveland.  This holistic doula service has demonstrated amazing outcomes for the women they serve – more full-term births, fewer preterm births, higher breast-feeding rates, fewer infant deaths in the first year etc.

Susan Greene

Retired Nurse Midwife

Cleveland, OH