Meet Cordelia Hanna | Founder and Executive Director of Happy Mama Healthy Baby Alliance

We had the good fortune of connecting with Cordelia Hanna and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Cordelia, how does your business help the community?
OUR MISSION

To promote high-quality, family-centered, evidence-based, respectful maternity and newborn care, and improved health outcomes for all childbearing persons and their babies with a special emphasis on communities of color who too often experience poorer birth outcomes in America.

OUR GOAL

HMHBA’s goal is to improve the birth outcomes of all women and birthing persons belonging to all communities.

We have a special focus on communities of color as they often face poor birth outcomes due to structural racism and implicit biases of healthcare providers. Unfortunately, in America, these disparities exist regardless of socioeconomic status or educational level of mother. These poor outcomes can include high rates of cesarean section, maternal mortality, prematurity, infant mortality, and lower rates of breastfeeding.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I have 30+ years of experience in maternity care as a health educator, direct-entry midwife, doula, birth activist, and maternal-child health advocate. My dedication to caring for mothers and babies and commitment to empowering pregnant women to have safe, respectful, and joyful birth experiences is my life’s work. Focusing on eliminating perinatal health disparities and inequities in communities of color while working to improve maternal care quality through systemic change is my vital mission. My 30+ years of dedication to this cause highlight my deep commitment and passion for addressing this human rights issue of vital importance.

Teaching and mentoring aspiring maternal-child health professionals is my way to pass on my knowledge and values, ensuring that the work I’ve started will continue to make a positive impact with future generations.

This work is essential, and I remain committed to making a difference in maternal and child health and to advocate for the human rights of all pregnant women and their babies.

Since 1991, I have attended hundreds of births in homes, hospitals and birth centers and supported families from multicultural backgrounds, in community, domiciliary, clinic, public health and hospital settings as a midwife, doula and health educator, and I will soon be adding Health Psychologist to my resume as I am currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Health Psychology from Walden University. My areas of research and interest are refugee/immigrant health, maternal and infant mental health, cross-cultural birthing and parenting practices, maternal-infant attachment, health disparities and trauma and resilience. My research perspective reflects my transformative worldview which holds that research inquiry needs to be intertwined with politics and a political change agenda to confront social oppression at whatever levels it occurs.

I am a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) whose skills include Responsibilities such as Assessment, Planning, Evaluation, Administration, Communication, Advocacy, and more. I am a Certified Childbirth Educator with International Childbirth Education Association (ICEA), a Certified Birth Assistant accredited by The Association for Labor Assistants and Childbirth Educators (ALACE), a Certified Lactation Educator, accredited by Childbirth and Postpartum Provider Association (CAPPA), and a Family Planning/Reproductive Health & Sexuality Educator through California Family Health Council.

In addition, I am a direct-entry midwife, who trained through apprenticeship with Licensed Midwives/Certified Professional Midwives in Los Angeles County, CA and worked in birth centers and in private homes since 1991.

I have a BA in Theatre, Dance and Vocal Music from Indiana University, Bloomington. I have performed as an actress, singer and dancer. After the birth of my children at home in the Echo Park District of Los Angeles with a midwife in 1989 and 1991, I received my calling to become a Childbirth Educator and Midwife so as to help others have empowered births as I had.

I earned a Master’s in Public Health (MPH) in Health Education and Promotion/ Maternal-Child Health from Loma Linda University. I love working in public health because it seeks to address social inequalities and the social determinants of health through a holistic, multidisciplinary approach.

As a Certified Health Education Specialist and Perinatal Health Educator. I have strived to make a significant positive impact on perinatal health in my community and beyond, particularly among BIPOC individuals who often face health disparities. By training and certifying health and human service professionals, empowering them with the knowledge and tools to make a difference in maternal and child health outcomes.

Many of my graduates, who have gone on to become midwives, nurses, lactation consultants, doulas, and family support providers, play essential roles in improving the overall well-being of families during the perinatal period. Their work can help bridge the gap in health disparities and provide culturally sensitive care to individuals and communities that may have unique needs and challenges. Graduates of my courses have contributed to increased awareness, access, and support for perinatal health services, which is crucial for promoting healthy pregnancies and better outcomes for both mothers and infants.

I have sought to make a significant and impactful career in the field of perinatal health, focusing on addressing disparities and inequities within the African-American/Black community. The biggest challenge I have faced is being a woman of European descent working in the African-American community. I have not always been accepted or welcomed with open arms. I have been misunderstood, and my intentions mischaracterized, unfortunately. However, my commitment is unwavering, and until women and babies of any color no longer are dying needlessly, I remain dedicated to this cause. Through the nonprofit organization I founded, I have provided an opportunity for many persons of color to become birth workers and to make a difference serving their communities as doulas.

The focus of my life’s work on social equity has their roots in my upbringing and early life exposures, and the examples of my progressive, politically active family who shaped my worldview and personal philosophy. My work on health justice is a reflection of my Judeo-Christian faith and commitment to the Jewish principle of Tikkun Olam, the healing and repair of the world, and my devotion to Divine Mother.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would take them on a long road trip through Los Angeles, down Sunset Blvd from downtown L.A. through Echo Park, Los Feliz, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, all the way to the beach. The entire history of the city can be learned by making this journey down Sunset Blvd. We’d stop at some favorite eateries and watering holes along the way.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
The late Geraldine Perry-Williams, PHN, MSN former Maternal Child and Adolescent Health Director for the City of Pasadena Public Health Department. Gerri was the director of The Pasadena Public Health Department Black Infant Health Program, a California state-funded program to address perinatal health disparities occurring among California’s African-American mothers and infants. Gerri hired me in 2002 as a Health Educator and Promoter to work to improve birth outcomes for Black mothers in Pasadena/Altadena. Together, we established the very first community doula program aimed at women of color through a public health department in Los Angeles County. We succeeded from 2002-2012 in lowering the high rates of premature births, cesarean sections, and maternal deaths occurring among this population. We also increased rates of breastfeeding initiation and duration among program clientele and raised awareness of the importance of breastfeeding to Pasadena’s mothers.

Website: https://motherbabysupport.net

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/motherbabysupport/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cordelia-hanna-mph-ches-cba-icce-cle-phd-c-89128728/

Twitter: @mombabysupport

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/motherbabysupport.net/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCv59CZjWlMMQGrMlLl_K8bA

Image Credits
Monet Moultrie, Nat Boking, Ani Tsourian