Sacred Space; Indigenous Community, Cultural Safety, and the Birth Center Model of Care

opening keynote

DATE: Thursday, October 12th
TIME: 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
FACULTY: Rhonda Lee Grantham

In this presentation Rhonda Lee Grantham will increase our understanding of the cultural needs of Indigenous birthing families. She will discuss issues and potential conflicts in cross-cultural health care settings, and share resoures for increasing cultural understanding.

Faculty

Rhonda Lee Grantham
Rhonda Lee Grantham is an Indigenous Midwife, herbalist, and cultural anthropologist. She is an enrolled member of the Cowlitz Nation, a Salish-Sahaptian tribe of SW Washington that translates to "Seeker of the Medicine Spirit." For nearly three decades, she has been actively catching babies and supporting programs within tribal communities, both at home and globally. She has midwife'd families from rural reservations to urban birth centers here on Turtle Island, and is thankful to have worked alongside Indigenous midwives and healers in birth settings ranging from busy global health clinics to isolated island villages. These opportunities have allowed her to weave together her interests in culturally centered care, midwifery, wilderness emergency medicine, food sovereignty, and more.

As the founder of both the Center for Indigenous Midwifery & the Canoe Journey Herbalists Project; she is guided by her lens as a cultural anthropologist and Native woman, along with her passions for global health, family wellness, and culturally-centered care. She is honored to share stories, skills, and struggles in dedication of her organization's mission; "Strengthening community by honoring, supporting & reclaiming Indigenous midwifery care & family support."