Open Arms is an Awardee of Action for Women’s Health!

Open Arms is honored to share that we are officially an awardee for Action for Women’s Health, a global open call funded by Pivotal and managed by Lever for Change! This award is a reminder that the work we’ve been doing and the women and birthing people we serve matter.  

Envisioning Our Future

This award allows us to envision our future rather than respond to crises. We can retain experienced community birth workers with fair wages, strengthen our workforce, and build systems for Medicaid reimbursement. Most importantly, it gives us a runway to innovate; expanding culturally matched care so that birthing people across Washington can access care that honors their languages, traditions, and choices. 

At Open Arms, we bridge culture and care. Our doulas, lactation specialists, and family support team come from the same communities we serve, allowing families to be seen and supported without judgment. This goes beyond delivering services; it restores dignity, connection, and confidence to birthing people.  By pairing cultural connection with skill, we deliver outcomes that are both measurable and lasting: healthier births, stronger families, and a system of care led by those most impacted. 

Cultural Connection + Skill = True Impact

The growing recognition of culturally responsive, community-led peer support gives us hope.  We see birth workers, families, and advocates across Washington reclaiming birth as a source of strength and cultural pride. Policymakers are recognizing that the people with lived experience are also closest to the solution. When we trust and invest in those voices, we create a future where every birthing person is seen, safe, and supported. True positive impact in the health of birthing people begins with trust and when resources reach community-based organizations led by and for the people most affected, lives transform. 

“We are so honored that nearly 30 years of work furthering birth justice in our region is being recognized in this way.  Our commitment to improving and advocating for the health of birthing people has always been at the heart of what we do. We are grateful to be recognized by Action for Women’s Health and to be able to sustain our strength and momentum in this work. They say luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity, and we are so grateful that this opportunity recognized our preparation and years of hard work!” shared Open Arms Executive Director, Dila Perera. 

We’re honored to join a global cohort of changemakers delivering innovative, scalable, and equitable solutions for women’s health. 

Read more: https://leverforchange.org/article/news/afwh-awardees-announcement/ 

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