Midwife Opens First Black-Owned Birth Center In Washington

Faisa Farole, a licensed midwife in Washington, has opened the state's first Black-owned birth center in Federal Way, a suburb of Seattle.

A midwife is diversifying birth centers in Washington. Faisa Farole opened the Federal Way Birth Center in the Seattle suburb, making it the first Black-owned establishment in the state.

The building boasts 3,000 square feet of space to provide ample maternal care to its pregnant patients. The birth center hosts three fully stocked birth suites, exam rooms, and teaching areas. While not an all-encompassing hospital, oxygen, IVs, and medicines are available on-site.

Farole spoke to The Seattle Times about what opening this facility means for diverse communities, especially for Black mothers.

“It’s historic, but it’s also sad there haven’t been any others in the past, considering Black and brown women’s status in this maternal health crisis,” said the licensed midwife to the news outlet.

The “status” Farole is referring to is Black women being disproportionately affected by maternal mortality, with their rate being three times higher than their white counterparts in 2021, as reported by the Centers for Disease Control. The publication also reported that pregnancy-induced deaths for women of color were at their highest from 2018 to 2020. However, Farole believes that increasing the number of midwives during delivery can decrease this statistic, especially amid hospital cuts in labor and delivery departments, and systemic gaps in healthcare services in ethnic neighborhoods.

Despite this, Farole is still battling the stigma against doulas and midwives and their efficiency in delivering safe, healthy births as opposed to standard medical providers. Washington has followed suit by allocating financial and training resources to increase the number of out-of-hospital birthing professionals.

Farole notes that research conducted by the National Library of Medicine proves that the implementation of midwives to assist in birthing journeys can result in better outcomes for expectant mothers of color.

“The [research] shows that midwifery is the answer for saving Black lives and giving women satisfactory care that they enjoy being part of, as well.”

Farole aims to foster an educative community within the center to help mothers advocate for themselves and their families while slowly but surely advancing Black women’s maternal health.