MAKE A DIFFERENCE: The Well addresses women’s health

Credit: Contributed

Credit: Contributed

The Giving Well Foundation provides a scholarship fund for services and education funded by private donations and grants. The providers at The Well also offer their own sliding scale fees and Medicaid eligibility which also helps remove financial barriers. Contributions from private donors are tax-deductible and immediately impactful, Kline says. “Donations help more people access necessary pregnancy and birth support, gynecology and well-woman exams, pelvic floor physical therapy, lactation consultations, holistic mental health care, massage, reflexology, and more.”

Frequent workshops on advancing women’s and families’ well-being take place along with free new-parent circles, nutrition classes, and weekly tai chi and prenatal yoga sessions. A wide range of support groups help people from all backgrounds explore topics of fertility, parenting, mental health, and more, offered primarily from The Well’s home base near Kettering’s Town and Country shopping center. All of these offerings are available at reduced cost or free to eligible individuals.

The Giving Well Foundation also collects and distributes health and baby care supplies, resources, and meal support for women and families throughout the Miami Valley through their partnership with The Well.

A separate scholarship fund is earmarked to help Black, LGBTQIA+, and other marginalized people access training to become doulas (birth supporters), lactation specialists, and other holistic providers throughout the Miami Valley. According to Kline, studies show that Black mothers are up to four times more likely than white mothers to die in childbirth, and their children are 2½ times more likely to die within their first year.

Credit: Contributed

Credit: Contributed

“As traditional communities of intergenerational support and knowledge continue to vanish, safe, whole-person care spaces where health care ‘feels inviting rather than rushed or even dismissive” will only become more important,’ Kline says.

One recent graduate, Jocquelene Pressley, is already bringing her skills as a midwife, CPR trainer, doula trainer and community health worker to the region. “The Well has been inspiring and supportive of me as a person, as a doula, and as a midwife,” she says.

“We hear from our clients often that feeling isolated and uncared for are major contributors to their anxiety and depression,” Kline says. “It is clear from the moment you walk through our pink front door, that you are an individual with individual needs, and that we want you here—in whatever condition you are in.”

Here’s what’s needed:

Donations can be dropped off between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays at 529 E. Stroop Road in Kettering. An Amazon Wishlist allows items to be sent directly to The Well.

Businesses, schools and small groups can sponsor a collection drive for items listed above by calling 937-912-1486 or emailing thewellforwellness@gmail.com.

You can also sponsor access to services or training at thewellforwellness.com/donate.

For more information: Website: thewellforwellness.com

Facebook: facebook.com/thewell4wellness

Instagram: instagram.com/thewell4wellness

Directly change lives by sponsoring access to services or training at thewellforwellness.com/donate.

MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Meredith Moss writes about Dayton-area nonprofit organizations and their specific needs. If your group has a wish list it would like to share with our readers, contact Meredith: meredith.moss@coxinc.com.

Please include a daytime phone number and a photo that reflects your group’s mission.

Credit: Contributed

Credit: Contributed