Resources

Past Presentation

Holding Space for Pregnancy Care: Elevating Indigenous Birthing Practices | November 28

Date of Presentation: November 28, 2023

Type: Past Presentation  

Audience: Clinical  

Program: Grand Rounds   Care and Access for Pregnant People  

Keywords: #birthing  #birthing practices  #midwife  #pregnancy  #traditional practices  

The November Indian Country ECHO Grand Rounds focused on holding space for pregnancy care in Indian Health Service, Tribal and Urban Indian (I/T/U) primary care clinics and elevating Indigenous birthing practices. In this series of presentations moderated by Dr. Patricia (Tricia) Capo (Minnesota Chippewa Tribe), ObGyn physician at Alaska Native Medical Center and Southcentral Foundation in Anchorage, Dorene Day (Ojibwe-Anishinabe Kwe of the Waubizayshi O’dodem), midwife, educator, activist, artist and writer, reviews the history of Indigenous birth practices and how these practices are incorporated into care of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) birthing persons today. Then, CDR Tina Pattara-Lau, Maternal and Child Health consultant for the IHS, provides a preview of the new Care and Access for Pregnant People ECHO Program that will launch in January 2024. The one-hour Grand Rounds session included an opportunity to engage in a didactic presentation, gain insight on how I/T/U facilities may effectively integrate timely pregnancy care, become part of a learning community, and join a new Pregnancy Care ECHO program.

 

Recording:

Presented by:

Dorene Day | Tina Pattara-Lau | Patricia (Tricia) Capo

Waubanewquay, or Dorene Day, is an Ojibwe-Anishinabe Kwe of the Waubizayshi O’dodem – Marten Clan, from Asabikone zaaga I’ gunning – Bois Forte Reservation in northern Minnesota. She is Midewiwin and Lead Woman singer for Center Fire in the Three Fires Midewiwin Lodge and is a Midewanniquay or Water Line Woman, who vows to take care of the water, and sings to the water every day. She is also a midwife, educator, activist, artist, and writer. Day has dedicated her life to reclaiming traditional birth and healing practices. She is an independent consultant who works in the Minneapolis and St. Paul area to meet the cultural and ceremonial needs of her community. For more than 40 years, she has served her community as a midwife. In addition to delivering babies, Day also provides traditional teachings and works on several community healing initiatives. She has hosted countless workshops and classes on Anishinabe pregnancy, birth teachings, healing ceremonies, and other women’s ceremonies for the life cycle. Over the years, Day has worked as a cultural consultant for several tribes and tribal entities, including the White Earth Nation, Little Earth of United Tribes, Native American Community Clinic, Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Center, and the Minnesota Indian Health Board, to name a few.

CDR Tina Pattara-Lau, MD, FACOG, is the Maternal and Child Health Consultant with the IHS Office of Clinical and Preventive Services. In this role, she serves as subject matter expert, develops national programs and policies, and collaborates with federal and community resources to optimize patient access to quality care. She began her IHS career in 2015 as an OB/GYN at Phoenix Indian Medical Center, Parker and Peach Springs Indian Health Centers, and Valleywise Health Medical Center. During the COVID-19 pandemic she developed modified guidelines for OB/GYN care including delivery of telehealth prenatal care, vaccine education for patients, and multidisciplinary simulation training for Obstetric Readiness in the Emergency Department. Tina graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with degrees in Molecular and Cell Biology and Psychology. She commissioned into the US Public Health Service in 2007 and received her medical degree from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in 2011. She completed her OB/GYN residency at the Naval Medical Center, San Diego, is board certified, and a fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists

Patricia (Tricia) Capo, MD, FACOG, is an ObGyn physician at Alaska Native Medical Center and Southcentral Foundation in Anchorage, Alaska. She graduated from Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine and completed her residency training at The Mayo Clinic and Greenville Hospital System in South Carolina. Tricia has an inherent passion for Indigenous women’s health. She is a member of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe and grew up on the White Earth Reservation in northern Minnesota. As a physician and a patient in the IHS system she hopes to provide a unique perspective and strive for quality care for Indigenous people.

Resources Provided:

Date added: October 12, 2023