Advancing a full spectrum midwifery model rooted in reproductive justice

Awarded 2022
Honoring community-based organizations as knowledge generators
Nikia Grayson, DNP, MSN, MPH, MA, CNM, FNP-C
CHOICES: Center for Reproductive Health
$240,418

CHOICES in Memphis, TN and now Carbondale, IL was the first nonprofit health care provider in the country to offer both birth services and abortion care under one roof. Grounded in the principles of reproductive justice, CHOICES centers those with the least access to quality, affordable, inclusive care and provides full-spectrum reproductive and sexual health services for more than 5,000 patients each year. With funding from the Society of Family Planning, CHOICES will publish its full-spectrum midwifery model and work in partnership with the National Birth Equity Collaborative to develop and pilot test corresponding clinician and staff training and evaluation materials. CHOICES’ approach to full-spectrum midwifery care builds upon the legacy of Black midwives who were the primary health care providers for their communities and provided not only obstetric care to pregnant people, but other health services such as abortion care. In this post-Roe abortion landscape, increasing the number of abortion providers is more important now than ever. CHOICES will operationalize its model of care to train clinicians, particularly (Black) midwives, to practice within their full scope of care in alignment with reproductive justice principles. Additionally, this training will equip midwives with the skills on how to educate their clients on abortion care, including self-managed abortion, and avoiding abortion criminalization.