|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Good morning, Fearless readers:
I hope you had a safe and fun Independence Day holiday.
I have a favor to ask of you, Fearless friends. Do you know of any businesses, nonprofits or other places of work that have official policies about babies being welcome in the office? I am compiling a list for an upcoming story. Please email me at nicolegrundmeier@bpcdm.com.
In this week’s Fearless e-newsletter, you will find:
- A story/column about nonprofit EveryStep offering its employees doula services reimbursement.
- A short story from the Business Record’s annual survey on women’s and gender issues: Do you feel women have made significant progress in obtaining a better balance of gender parity in politics?
- A profile of Jasmine Brooks, the new leader of 6th Avenue Corridor.
- In the headlines: Iowa abortion providers prepare for a state law that will ban most abortions to take effect.
- In case you missed it: Hy-Vee awarded $50,000 in grants to minority- and women-owned businesses.
- Lots more!
– Nicole Grundmeier, Business Record staff writer
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Nonprofit EveryStep begins offering its employees doula services reimbursement
|
|
|
|
BY MACEY SHOFROTH, FEARLESS CONTRIBUTOR
|
|
|
|
|
|
One of EveryStep’s doulas, Jazzmine Brooks, and her client Morghan. Submitted photo
|
|
|
Pregnant employees working for EveryStep Care & Support Services now have access to potentially lifesaving pregnancy care on behalf of their employer.
The Des Moines-based nonprofit, which provides care for Iowans at various stages of their lives through multiple services, recently implemented a doula reimbursement policy for pregnant employees or their pregnant partners. Employees who have worked for the company for at least one year are eligible for up to $1,000 in doula services reimbursement.
|
|
|
“We provide culturally competent and linguistically competent doula services for our clients, and we’ve seen that having a doula be that support and resource has really made a difference with positive outcomes,” said Jen Groves, EveryStep vice president of community health services. “We realized as an employer, we want our employees to get the very best care, too.”
The policy requires employees, who are either pregnant or have a pregnant partner, to use a certified doula, who will receive the payments directly from EveryStep.
Doula care makes a considerable difference in outcomes for pregnant people, especially as maternal mortality rates rise across the country, studies have found. As of 2021, Iowa’s maternal mortality rate reached 20.2 deaths per 100,000 births, and the rates are even worse for people of color — Black women are six times more likely to die during or after childbirth than white women.
|
|
|
Becky Borgman, EveryStep’s maternal child health director, explained that doulas are specifically trained in supporting and advocating for their pregnant clients as they navigate the pregnancy journey. They provide education about caring for themselves during pregnancy, what to expect during labor, and how to adjust to a new life with a child.
“They provide a more holistic model of care for the pregnant individuals,” Borgman said.
The support, education and advocacy of a doula can ease some of the stress and anxiety of the birthing experience, resulting in more positive deliveries. Doula care can reduce cesarean section rates, shorten labor times and prevent complications such as hemorrhaging or hysterectomies, according to the March of Dimes.
“Doulas empower the client to feel confident and comfortable,” Borgman said.
Doula care extends past the birth and helps parents navigate and embrace the big changes coming their way. EveryStep hopes providing this benefit will help employees with the transition to life with a new child.
Those challenges aren’t always easy to navigate.
“We want to make sure employees are feeling not only supported in whatever decisions they make for their birthing experience, but when they come back to work. We want to make sure the workplace is one that is supportive and that the human coming back to work is the most comfortable and healthy and ready they can be to take on that challenge of being a working parent,” Groves said.
Providing this benefit also allows EveryStep to address the inequities that exist in accessing doula care. Hiring a doula is historically expensive and not an option for many pregnant people. As they work to break down barriers to quality, comprehensive health care for their clients, they are taking on the responsibility to break down those barriers for employees, too.
“We want to make sure that we’re encouraging folks in all aspects of their lives to make sure that they’re healthy,” Groves said. “We want to walk the walk when we talk about the importance of what we’re doing in our work. We want everyone to have access to these benefits.”
Because the benefit is still relatively new, the organization hasn’t been able to collect data on its impact. But it has become a point of public health education for EveryStep’s employees. They’re learning more about the importance of doulas and how they can prevent adverse health outcomes.
They also hope to be an example to other businesses to show how they can support their pregnant employees and improve the state of public health.
“We want to tell other employers, ‘You can do this, too,’” Groves said. “And employees, you can ask for this. If you are a part of a marginalized population that has health disparities based on race, gender, orientation or linguistic differences, these services are available. Anyone can reach out to EveryStep if there’s anything you need support with.”
Macey Shofroth is a writer based in Norwalk. She works as a marketing coordinator for CultureALL, a nonprofit boosting inclusion in Iowa, and produces a Substack Newsletter called “The Midwest Creative.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
How do Iowans view gender parity in politics?
|
|
|
|
COMPILED BY EMILY BARSKE WOOD, SPECIAL PROJECTS EDITOR
|
|
|
This coverage is from the Business Record’s annual survey on women’s and gender issues as part of our Fearless initiative. While nonscientific, we believe the results of this questionnaire illustrate current opinions about Iowa women’s equity in and outside of work. Read previous coverage here.
We asked those taking our gender issues survey a variety of questions about women’s equity.
We asked: In the past five years, do you feel women have made significant progress in obtaining a better balance of gender parity in politics?
Overall, respondents were split 50-50 between “yes” and “no.” However, among respondents who identified as women or nonbinary, only 43% said they felt women have made significant progress toward gender parity in politics, compared to 79% of the respondents who identified as men.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Meet Jasmine Brooks, the new leader of 6th Avenue Corridor
|
|
|
|
BY KATHY A. BOLTEN, BUSINESS RECORD SENIOR STAFF WRITER
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jasmine Brooks. Photo by Duane Tinkey
|
|
|
As a child, Jasmine Brooks’ playthings frequently included scrap pieces of lumber, nails, tape measures, hammers and other things used by her father to build or renovate houses.
The scrap lumber was used to make small houses or toys, including an airplane her brother built for her.
“Growing up, I never thought I would be in the [homebuilding] business because I was sick and tired of it,” said Brooks, who recently was hired as executive director of 6th Avenue Corridor Neighborhood Main Street Program. “I had my sights set on becoming a doctor.”
While at the University of Iowa, Brooks realized she didn’t have a passion for the medical profession and decided to pursue psychology, in which she earned her bachelor’s degree.
A few years later, as a married adult with children, Brooks said she and her husband, Darryl, began having conversations about serious issues, including ways to create generational wealth among people of color.
“My mind instantly went back to the things that my dad had taught me growing up – that real estate is the number one industry that makes millionaires,” Brooks said.
The couple was unsuccessful in getting a loan to buy a property to spruce up and rent, Brooks said. They shifted gears and bought a residential property that had been foreclosed on for a family home. When they needed a bigger house for their growing family, they opted to build new in a neighborhood near Easter Lake, she said.
The couple built and sold three other homes in the south Des Moines development and recently turned the first home they built into a rental property.
“It didn’t occur the way we had thought it would and not even in the neighborhood or price point we thought we’d be in,” Brooks said. “But now we’re moving full steam ahead and getting into the rental space.”
Earlier this year, a friend posted information on social media about the executive director’s position with 6th Avenue Corridor. Brooks said she saw the post and decided not to apply because of responsibilities with her business and family.
A week later, the post showed up again in her social media feed.
“I’m a very faith-based person and I believe God will close every door that’s not for me and open the doors that are good,” Brooks said. She applied for the job, thinking “If God doesn’t think this is right for me, he’ll close that door.”
Brooks was called for an initial interview and called back for a second interview.
In May, the nonprofit group that is coordinating the commercial revitalization of Sixth Avenue announced Brooks as its executive director.
The Business Record recently caught up with Brooks.
Talk a little bit about how your experiences prepared you for this position.
Everything I’ve done the past seven or 10 years is all rolled up into this one job. I have a background in homebuilding and development. I have connections with builders, developers and people in the trades. I’ve worked with the Evelyn K. Davis Center for Working Families, the Directors Council (a nonprofit organization of Black CEOs and executive directors that is working to improve Black lives in Polk County). All of the social development and work that I’ve done in the past is all rolled up in the job I’m doing now. And it’s in the exact neighborhood that raised me. … One of the things the board said to me during the interviews was that I seemed relaxed. I said it was because I’m at home.
What was Sixth Avenue like when you were growing up here?
It was like a mini expressway to get you from the freeway to north of the river. … It wasn’t until I was in middle school that I understood the term “the hood” and then I started telling people “Oh, yeah, I live in the hood.” It was a badge of honor. It wasn’t like, “Whoa, we are poor folk.” It was more like, “Look at people who are thriving with little, look at people who are developing community.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
“I’M INSPIRED BY FAILURE. THE PROCESS OF DEFEAT – PICKING YOURSELF BACK UP AGAIN IS THE HARDEST THING IN THE WORLD.”
LOLO JONES
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Samantha Mesa. Photo courtesy of HolaIowa.com.
|
|
|
|
|
Samantha Mesa: From family caregiver to trailblazing journalist: While still in high school, future Iowa journalist Samantha Mesa earned a scholarship to cosmetology school. The class was mostly Hispanic and female, as was most of the staff. However, not everyone there saw her potential. She recalls some non-Latina instructors in particular. “They were like, half of you will drop out, half of you will get pregnant. For those who actually complete this, you’re going to need a better job than working at Walmart when you have babies and your baby daddy leaves you.” Mesa was shocked but didn’t let that deflate her, according to this story by Hola Iowa.
A Des Moines DART bus now bears the faces of 2 prominent community activists: The faces of Des Moines activists Evelyn K. Davis and Teree Caldwell-Johnson are now the sides of a Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority bus. This is the second time Iowa Juneteenth has honored civil right icons by wrapping a bus, according to this story by the Des Moines Register.
Iowa abortion providers, advocates prepare for state law to take effect: Reproductive health care advocates and providers are preparing for how to help Iowans access abortion following the June 28 Iowa Supreme Court decision that will allow the state’s six-week abortion ban to take effect. Reproductive health care providers said they have spent a significant amount of time getting ready for abortion restrictions to take effect in Iowa, according to this story in the Iowa Capital Dispatch.
Lolo Jones, 41 and ‘terrified,’ is back on the track and running against time: Lolo Jones had spent the past 20 years leaping over hurdles and hurtling downhill at skull-rattling speed, competing against the world’s best athletes on land and on ice. She had never felt more scared than early evening on June 28 at Hayward Field, when she approached the start line for the 100-meter hurdles at the United States Olympic trials at age 41, according to this story in the Washington Post. Jones is a Des Moines native and a Roosevelt High School alumna.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Having a woman manager can improve productivity with mixed-gender teams, Harvard study finds (CBS News). These nurse managers were burnt out. Then their hospital gave them a 4-day workweek. (NPR). Your boss will freeze your eggs now (New York Times). Small business, big impact: The transformative power of women-led enterprises (World Economic Forum). To help the economy, an Alabama county is betting on home-based child care (NPR). Kate Martin, Caitlin Clark fulfill wish of Iowa girl with cancer (Las Vegas Review-Journal).
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hy-Vee awards $50,000 in grants to minority- and women-owned businesses
|
|
|
|
|
Hy-Vee Inc. awarded $50,000 to minority- and women-owned businesses on June 18 during the Hy-Vee OpportUNITY Inclusive Business Summit at the Sioux Falls Convention Center in Sioux Falls, S.D.
During the pitch competition component of the event, 15 companies from across the Midwest presented to a panel of judges and more than 150 event attendees.
The competition included celebrity judge Paul Wahlberg, executive chef and co-owner of Wahlburgers and Alma Nove. Additional judges included Brienne Maner, president for Startup Sioux Falls, Ricky Espino, vice president for Inca Salsa, and Shelby Stritzke, vice president, fashion, beauty, innovation for Hy-Vee.
West Des Moines-based comic book publisher Aniekanabasi White of Sensiil Studios was awarded $5,000.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
At its core, Fearless exists to help empower Iowa women to succeed in work and life. We believe that everyone has a story to share and that we cannot progress as a society unless we know about one another. We share stories through featuring women in our reporting, featuring guest contributions and speakers at our events.
We are always looking for new stories to share and people to feature. Get in touch with us!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Like this newsletter? Please forward to a friend!
Did someone share this newsletter with you? Sign up here.
|
|
|
|
|
