Da'naM. Langford

CEO & Medical Director, Village of Healing

Following her graduation with a bachelor's degree in sports medicine, Da'na M. Langford was not keen to pursue a career as an athletic trainer, instead she wanted to be an OB/GYN. While deciding to take some prerequisite courses, she had the opportunity to work at a women's shelter in Cleveland, and that experience left a lasting impact on her life and future career

Her interactions with minority communities provided valuable knowledge on the deep challenges these groups faced, and Langford decided to do the courageous thing of standing up for the causes she believed in and, since then, never looked back.

Today, Da'na M. Langford serves as CEO & Medical Director of Village of Healing, a community development organization with a new approach to community wellness. Phenomenal Woman recently spoke with Ms. Langford to learn more about her journey and her work at the Center

Langford grew up in South Euclid as an only child raised by a single mom surrounded by extended family members including, grandparents, aunt, uncle, and her church family Appreciative of her membership at Starlight Baptist Church, where she learned how to advocate and speak publicly, she said, “It was here that I learned the power and love of the Black woman and how it existed in my home tremendously, but I was also able to see it in other Black women and the power behind the collective of the Black woman.”

Her efforts and hard work earned her a bachelor's degree in Sports Medicine-Athletic Training from Eastern Michigan University. She then pursued her studies and obtained a Master of Science degree with a specialization in Midwifery and Women's Health.

Langford has worked as a midwife for seven years, making stops in Albany, Georgia; St. Petersburg, Florida, and Akron, Ohio. She then returned to her hometown of Cleveland and vividly recalls witnessing healthcare disparities. “The conversations and advocacy around Black infant and maternal health were coming to the forefront of healthcare. I was excited to get in on the ground floor of the conversations and truly advocate and fight for my community,” she said.

As a midwife, Langford continues to care for mothers and newborns around childbirth. How did she join this field of practice? In her own words, she said, “God had called me to be a midwife. I also knew his calling came with the passion of working with my own community I did not know about culturally sensitive care at that time, but I knew I never saw anyone that looked like me when I sought care, except for the front desk. I had to change this narrative. This is what led me to become a midwife.”

To broaden her knowledge on the issues, Langford “participated in a series of community-based committees organized to address racial disparities in maternal and infant health, but sadly noted these committees did not reflect Black women and children who were devastated bystructural racial disparities.”

Accordingly, Langford and her business partner Tenisha Gaines decided to respond to these challenges in an organized way. Following consultations, self-thoughts and extensive research, Langford and Gaines co-founded the Village of Healing, a 501c3 non-profit organization, with the purpose of tackling these problems.

“Reading all the data and working in institutions as Black women, Tenisha and I were unheard in our advocacy as employees, and as family members of patients in the system, and as Black women ourselves seeking care in these systems. We continued to recognize a large problem that deserved a solution, not more talking about the problem.” Langford said. “While Cleveland has made great strides in various socioeconomic aspects, more work is needed in critical areas such as education and healthcare particularly focused on black communities.”

Out of their passion and need to decrease racial disparities for Black women, Langford and Gaines's efforts bore fruit, leading to the opening of The Village of Healing Center on February 14, 2022. The center provides, among others, Black women access to culturally-sensitive care from the time a woman steps into the clinic and throughout the duration of their visit. In addition, welldesigned programs provide services to meet the core objectives of the Center

Langford said, “The Village of Healing Center is the first and only clinic in Northeast Ohio for Black women, created by Black women. Our center focuses on culturally centered care, which has been supported by data to decrease racial disparities, and improve outcomes, patient adherence, and compliance to care while also increasing patient satisfaction. We focus on providing Black providers to care for Black patients.” She continued, “We currently offer obstetrics, gynecology, and mental health services at our Euclid,

Ohio location. In addition to healthcare, we acknowledge that only 20% of what we do as providers in exam rooms truly addresses a patient's health status. So, we choose to holistically take care of the entire woman while providing wrap-around services through our on-staff community health care workers and communityprograms.”

The Village of Healing Mother to Mother Program provides one on one direct support and mentorship to black mothers who are currently experiencing a maternal mental health complication (MMHC). Trained volunteers create a supportive healing environment where black women can receive resources and encouragement to drive their own engagement based on their individual needs and comfort level. Of the program, Langford said, “Through a partnership with Perinatal Outreach and Encouragement for Moms (POEM), participants talk/text, attend online and inperson support groups facilitated by trained black pregnant and parenting volunteers who look like them and share some of their same experiences. Volunteers have experienced and recovered from some form of maternal mental health complication. They serve as models to recovery and inspire women in their own healing- Mother to Mother”

For Black women over the age of 30 with a bachelor's degree, the Center offers the Professional Black nd Women's Group “We meet every 2 Thursday over th Zoom and 4 Thursday in person for our Queens Night Out. We provide a safe supportive space for professional Black women to be vulnerable, laugh and share experiences with other talented black women who look like them. The focus is on healing. An online therapist is present at each session as we encourage one another and dissect the intersectionality of being professional,Black and a woman,” Langford said.

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Extending such important services to left behind communities is a noble task. The CEO and Medical Director appreciates the support/collaboration she receives from other like-minded organizations. She said, “Together with Birthing Beautiful Communities and Pregnant with Possibilities, we have built a collaborative amongst the three of us focused on improving outcomes in Black birth.” She continued, “We also work with Neighborhood Leadership Institute, Perinatal Outreach and Encouragement for Moms (POEM, Columbus, Ohio), ROOTT (Columbus, Ohio), Queens Village (Cincinnati, Ohio), Better Health Partnership, and numerous generous funders who we are so grateful to be able to work with to provide our services.”

According to Langford, one of the challenges they face is letting Black communities know that these services exist. She said, “We are making every effort to find the best way to reach our population to market our services and let the community know we are here and providing exceptional care to all Black women.” She continued, “We are also struggling to show that we provide not only obstetric care and take care of pregnant women, but we care for ALL women, including non-pregnant women. And these women do not have to fit a certain socioeconomic status. We accept ALL insurances, private and public, and offer options for women with no insurance.”

The Organization has recently enlisted the assistance of Dr. Heather Rice and Dr. Cyleste Collins both of Cleveland State University to evaluate the center and Langford stated, “The results prove through data that culturally sensitive care is the answer to decrease racial disparities and improve outcomes.”

Various studies indicate that health disparities among minorities and particularly among black women are much higher compared to other groups. Moving forward, Langford stated, “As Black women experience disparities in infant and maternal health, their problems need to be heard and addressed.” While she appreciates the steps taken by the city and county in addressing these problems as a good first step, she stressed the need for more financial support on a larger scale to organizations that try to tackle these challenges.

When asked about mentors who have shaped her thinking, Langford said, “My mentors are every Black woman who I have been blessed to encounter in my life that was able to leave me with a learning experience. This even includes the patients I have had the opportunity to serve.”

Langford has multiple responsibilities at the Center She not only serves as CEO and Medical Director, but also serves as a provider to patients as a certified nurse midwife. In addition to her busy schedule working & leading the Center, she finds time to volunteer. She currently serves on the board of Mom Effect and Enlightened Solutions. She also works closely with her alma mater Beaumont School in its efforts to recruit and retain Black students.

The Village of Healing has already achieved a lot. Numerous people who have been desperately in need of health care services have been taken care and more are expected to gain services in the upcoming years. Asked about some of the next plans, Langford explained, “The center is focused on continued growth and visibility. We are expanding our marketing efforts, while also entering the realm of fundraising to expand our portfolio to ensure and focus on sustainability We also are looking forward to expanding our culturally-sensitive care to other specialties to include primary care, pediatrics and dentistry, as we grow into a network of centers throughout Cuyahoga County”

To anyone thinking about following their passion, she encourages, “if God called you to it, pray, ask God for the strength, and trust your faith. It will definitely be tested and tried, but just watch how you always come out on the other side better than you went in. If that is always the case, it is ordained by God and is your mission to this world.”

To learn more visit, villageofhealingcle.com