The waiting room at the Village of Healing’s clinic is buzzing with warm laughter, as a young family arrives for an appointment.
A nurse remarks that Euclid resident Shalon Salters looks tired walking in, carrying her sleeping 4-month-old baby, Zarah.
But by the appointment's end, Salters’ glazed expression had changed. She was upbeat.
“Today I went first," Salters said. "I met with Aubrey and I talked to her about my concerns, personally, what is (going on) mentally, and also physically, and just following up on some things from last appointment."
Not only did Salters get a wellness check for her baby, but she had her health checked out, too. It’s a new model, which allows child care or transportation-strapped moms to get the care they need.
A new approach to postpartum care
This kind of appointment, where both a pediatric specialist and adult primary care specialist coordinate on care, is a atypical for most new moms. But it's not unusual for moms who come to the Village of Healing Center— a culturally-sensitive care clinic, where Black providers care for Black men, women and children with primary care, pediatrics, OB/GYN and mental health services. The clinic has operated in Euclid since 2019.
Some studies show these kinds of clinics often have better outcomes because patients feel like their doctor understands their culture, and they are more likely open up about their health concerns.
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Joyce Fitzpatrick, a faculty member of the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University, said she hopes community-based nonprofit health care centers take off in other places.
“We have to have a model that's culturally sensitive and is delivered by individuals who are like me," she said. "That's a challenge in in our health care profession, that we don't have enough providers who are like the people they serve.”