MATERNAL JUSTICE PROGRAMS

COMMONSENSE CHILDBIRTH INC. 

ORLANDO, FLORIDA

The Vision & Mission of Commonsense Childbirth Inc.

Commonsense Childbirth Inc. (CSC) 501(c) 3 non-profit organization  was founded in 1998 by Jennie Joseph who has dedicated her life to helping women and families have better birth experiences.  Over the years Jennie’s work has grown beyond the birth room.  She speaks nationally and  internationally sharing her positive outcomes on low birth weight, prematurity, infant mortality, and maternal mortality rates that remain particularly high in minority and disenfranchised populations in the United States.

Our Vision

We believe that all women deserve a healthy pregnancy, birth and baby!

Our Mission

Our mission is to inspire change in maternal child health care systems worldwide; to re-empower the birthing mother, father, family and community by supporting the providers, practitioners and agencies that are charged with their care.

“When the front desk operates as an ‘open-door triage’ there is no barrier to prenatal care. You are eligible for all  services simply because you are pregnant and you have expressed a need. NO ONE IS TURNED AWAY regardless of ability to pay” ~ Jennie Joseph, Executive Director

Corporate Offices

Our offices are located in Winter Garden, greater Orlando area, in Florida. This site also houses our birth center, The Birth Place; our perinatal training division, Commonsense Childbirth Institute; and is the original location of the ‘Easy Access Clinic’ and the development site  of The JJ Way® maternal child health model.

What are your areas of focus?

1.Maternity Medical Homes

We operate maternity medical homes providing easily accessible, culturally safe, non-judgmental prenatal, birth, postpartum and women’s health care.

The JJWay® System The goal of The JJ Way® is to eliminate racial and class disparities in perinatal health and improve birth outcomes for all. Key objectives of The JJ Way® are for pregnancies to reach a gestation of 37 weeks or greater and for newborns to have a birth weight of 5 lbs. 8 oz or greater, for women (and their families) to bond well to their babies and to start and succeed at breastfeeding. The JJ Way’s innovative model builds on the strengths of the Midwives Model of Care to reach a population that does not typically seek midwifery services. Click here for more information.

Birthing Center.

An alternative choice for a natural birth. Created to provide a safe environment for healthy pregnant women to deliver with freedom of movement and be an active participant in their care.   This woman-centered, family-centered, holistic model is the future of birth in the USA. Our birthing center is in Winter Garden, Florida.

Easy Access Prenatal Care Clinics.

NO ONE IS EVER TURNED AWAY! Created to provide accessible and affordable health care for pregnant and postpartum women who are uninsured, underinsured, low-income or indigent and are at-risk for poor health outcomes due to having no maternity medical home. Prenatal and postpartum care and support is critical for the health and wellbeing of mom and baby. In a time where costs are rising and maternity insurance is hard to acquire, our Easy Access Clinic program is a proven solution. We also provide help with applying for Medicaid, social support and health navigation services for pregnant women, as access to comprehensive care is extremely difficult in the current healthcare climate. Our Easy Access Clinics are located in Orlando, Florida.

2.Training Programs

The Commonsense Childbirth School of Midwifery provides education to become a direct-entry midwife which leads to an option to be a Florida Licensed Midwife and Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) under the North American Registry of Midwives. Click here for more information. Commonsense Childbirth Institute offers a full catalog of perinatal courses that aid in the training of paraprofessionals and professionals in the maternal child health (MCH) field through our online learning platform. Although physically located in the greater Orlando area, many of our courses can be accessed via internet as on-demand courses and/or hosted in a city near you.

How are you implementing strategies as part of your maternal health program? 

Through our launching of the Pregnancy and Birth Circles (PBC) Program, MSVW has developed a program that provides care to the most vulnerable in our community, while training the next generation of midwives and birth workers of color in Texas. MSVW approaches midwifery, pregnancy and birth as existing within the context of a larger family and community.

We believe that the care provided by midwives and birth companions should be based upon mutual respect, open communication, autonomy and empowerment of the woman and her family; instead of providing care to women, we provide care with women.

We prioritize and support midwives and birth companions of color within our programs. MSVW approaches midwifery, pregnancy and birth as existing within the context of a larger family and community. Our practice of midwifery includes cultural reflectiveness which for Black and Latinas exists within the context of basic human rights and the ancestral rites of life and birth.

Find Out More About Commonsense Childbirth Inc.

We believe that all women deserve a healthy pregnancy, birth and baby so no one is ever turned away – regardless of ability to pay! We focus on safety, quality and workforce development in support of our vision for equitable maternity care. 

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