IDA MAE PATTERSON CENTER FOR MATERNAL AND INFANT WELLNESS

The Ida Mae Patterson Center for Maternal & Infant Wellness is founded on the tenets of the Village Circle Approach™. The center offers Community-Embedded Group Prenatal Care, designed to support, protect and provide community-based clinical care to African-American childbearing persons, families, and others.

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PRENATAL CARE AT THE CENTER

Care Participants — enrolled pregnant clients— will receive care in supportive cohorts of their peers that focus on perinatal education, informed consent, community nurturance and support, all in a culturally validating environment.

The Village Circle Approach™ aims to eliminate the damaging consequences of racism in prenatal care currently demonstrated within standard medical models of care. The model focuses on clinical excellence, client autonomy, and group determination all in an environment of cultural validation and celebration.

Read about The Village Circle Approach™

 

Interested prenatal clients can contact clinic staff by email at idamaecenter@uzazivillage.org or
by phone at 816-541-3718, Ext. 1.

 

Care will be provided by multidisciplinary staff of:

Healthcare Providers

Doulas

Herbalists

Community Life & Wellness Coordinator

Lactation Specialists

IDA MAE PATTERSON CENTER STAFF

Read Clarisa's Bio
Read D'Lita's Bio
Read Courtney's Bio
Read Rochelle's Bio
Read James Bio
Read Shafeeqa's Bio

Intake Form

Please fill this form out if you would like to become a care participant in the Ida Mae Patterson Center for Maternal and Infant Wellness. * Note – We are currently only accepting participants that are 8-30 weeks pregnant.
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Learn more about the Ida Mae Patterson Center for Maternal & Infant Wellness

IDA MAE CLINIC PRESS RELEASE
CLINIC INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEW

4232 Troost Avenue, Kansas City, MO 64110  •  (816) 541-3718

WEBSITE CREATED BY LILLIAN JAMES CREATIVE

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TERMS & CONDITIONS

The Village Circle Approach™

The Ida Mae Patterson Center for Maternal and Infant Wellness is a Perinatal Safe Spot and a Black Sacred Space for prenatal care. The Ida Mae Clinic utilizes the Village Circle Approach™  

Description:

The Village Circle Approach™ is an Afro-Centric Group Prenatal Care Model designed to support, protect and provide community-based clinical care to childbearing persons and families of the African diaspora, The model allows for a group prenatal care concept in which pregnant persons move though care in support cohorts of their peers that focus on perinatal education informed consent, community nurturance and support, excellence in clinical care, all in a culturally validating environment.  This is the chosen care approach for the Ida Mae Patterson Center for Maternal and Infant Wellness (Ida Mae Clinic) at Uzazi Village in Kansas City, MO. 

Purpose:

The purpose of this approach to care is to eliminate racially-embedded health disparities in prenatal care currently demonstrated within standard medical models of care.  This approach focuses on clinical excellence, client autonomy, and group determination all in an environment of cultural validation and celebration.  African-Americans bear the brunt of negative health consequences in a white-supremist, oppressive and punitive healthcare system that fails to recognize the humanity and value of African-American persons.  The current system of healthcare cannot meet the complex needs of childbearing persons of the Black diaspora and cannot solve the problem of health inequity in its current state. It is therefore incumbent upon those who understand the problem in all its nuances to offer viable solutions.  The Village Circle Approach™ is designed to bridge the care/outcome gap with care that recognizes and honors the humanity of persons of the African diaspora.

Features:

Features of this model will include aspects of care in a healthcare setting that are Afro-Centric by nature and celebrate Black ‘Ways of Being.’ These features include:

  • Group education
  • Relational interaction with care partners
  • Equalized (rather than hierarchical) power structures
  • Shared decision-making and informed consent or non-consent
  • Culturally congruent staffing
  • Celebration of Black peoples and Black culture
About Clarisa

Clarisa Evans is a Certified Community Midwife here at the Ida Mae Patterson Center for Maternal and Infant Wellness and the owner of Out Of Eden Midwifery. She has served in several local midwifery practices, she brings both expertise and compassionate support to the families she serves.

Her previous roles as a full-spectrum doula, patient care specialist, and childbirth educator have equipped her with a comprehensive skill set and deep understanding of the birthing journey. Clarisa is a strong advocate for continuous midwifery care, believing it leads to better birth outcomes and a smoother transition into parenthood.

Passionate about advocacy, Clarisa is a dedicated champion for Black maternal health and addressing infant mortality in the United States. She works to raise awareness and educate her community on their pregnancy and birth options. She previously served as Vice President of the Missouri Midwives Association and currently sits on the board of Postpartum Support International’s Missouri chapter.

Outside of her professional work, Clarisa is a devoted wife and mother of three. She finds peace in the outdoors and cherishes spending time with her family surrounded by nature.

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D’Lita “Dee” Parker, APRN WHNP-BC, is not just a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner at the Ida Mae Patterson Center, but a professional with an impressive decade of experience in her field. Recently, her career journey has taken her to the doors of Uzazi Village, where she’s been offering her expertise for the past three months.
Beyond her profession, Dee is a genuine person who greatly values her roles as a mother and a healthcare provider. Her commitment towards her job is evident in the compassionate care she provides to women. In her leisure time, Dee is an adventurer at heart, often found exploring uncharted territories on international trips. Additionally, she relishes spending quality time with her loved ones, indicating her strong family values.
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Courtney Pauley, a registered nurse at Ida Mae Center, has a deep passion for women’s services. She noticed a significant gap in the services provided to breastfeeding mothers, which ignited her determination to learn more. This led her to Uzazi Village’s lactation internship, where she was mentored by Melissa Jackson RN IBCLC, a respected professional in the field. Through unwavering dedication and commitment, Courtney earned the prestigious IBCLC certification, which greatly enhanced her ability to provide high-quality support.
What fuels Courtney’s drive is her heartfelt desire to restore and disseminate essential ancestral breastfeeding knowledge, particularly in the underserved communities of the KC metro area. She believes that this overlooked knowledge, especially relevant to black and brown families, is a vital resource that needs to be revitalized and shared widely. Courtney’s mission is to address the systemic neglect of this knowledge that spans a century, and passionately strives to bring it back into circulation.
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Rochelle Evans, formerly the Administrative Doula at Ida Mae Patterson Center, now serves passionately as a Village Doula. Her mission is to unlock the divine potential and healing within everyone, particularly People of Culture, enabling them to live empowered lives, free from constraints. Her family, including her husband Morrell, their son, Morrell II, and beloved pets, Demo and Mekka, fuel her dedication.
Rochelle’s calling to birth work began in childhood, caring for her siblings and supporting friends through the transformative journey of pregnancy, birth, and loss. The realization of her role came upon her own pregnancy, leading to a deeper understanding of the disparities faced during childbirth.
Embracing her thirst for knowledge, Rochelle found Uzazi’s program during her 2017 pregnancy and enrolled in 2020, juggling a demanding 50-hour work week. A layoff during training was seen not as a setback, but an opportunity, leading to her full-time role as a Village Doula.
Rochelle encourages you to see your reflection in the care she provides. She is committed to empowering your family towards the birth and postpartum experience you deserve. She views each birth as sacred, each journey unique as a baby’s fingerprint, and considers it a privilege to serve families in such a special time.
Rochelle is a Certified Full Spectrum Doula, Community Health Worker, Hypnobabies Certified Hypno Doula, and Reiki Master. She is currently working towards Prenatal Yoga and Cannabis Doula Certifications. In her downtime, she explores photography, new restaurants, cooking, travel, and cherishes time with her family and friends.
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James, a native of Detroit, Michigan, comes from a large family of twelve siblings. His early exposure to a bustling household environment, along with being an uncle to over 20 nieces and nephews, naturally steered him towards a career in birth education. James is a trained birth doula, having completed his training through the National Black Doulas Association. His journey into birth education became deeply personal and a clear calling during his wife
challenging pregnancy with their son, which involved complications like oligohydramnios and preeclampsia. The situation highlighted the critical importance of adequate prenatal education and preparation for unexpected challenges. Motivated by his experiences, James founded the nonprofit organization Fathers Assisting Mothers. His mission through this initiative is to educate and empower expectant fathers, equipping them to provide essential support to the mothers in their lives during this pivotal time.

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As Uzazi’s Community Life Wellness Coordinator, Shafeeqa Small is able to introduce essential foods and alternatives, fostering a love for food through hands-on cooking demos, tastings, and food preparation advice. For two decades, Shafeeqa has developed methods to enhance food relationships, serving not only as a Holistic Facilitator but also as a chef, earth mother, beekeeper, and food advocate and educator.
The power of food to nurture and heal was evident in Mama Hakima’s dedication to Uzazi Village and its unique focus on nutrition. Recognizing the need for a nutrition-centric role, Mama Hakima and Shafeeqa both realized that solely relying on licensed nutritionists could dismiss the significant importance of our traditional food practices, heritage, and a non-judgmental perspective towards healthy food relationships, the essence of our village.
At Uzazi, Shafeeqa offers mothers and families more than just meals; she presents food as a cognitive stimulant, address food insecurity, and challenge societal stereotypes. The mission is to reinforce the restorative, life-sustaining power of food, beyond mere nutrition. Uzazi Village, for Shafeeqa, is not merely a place; it’s a nurturing sanctuary where she’s prospered and continue to serve passionately.
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