Village of Healing is unlike any medical organization in Ohio. Dána M Langford, CEO & Medical Director, and Tenisha Gaines, Director of Operations, co-founded the organization to combat the vast disparity in black healthcare outcomes in Cuyahoga County and beyond.
The need for Village of Healing could not be greater. In 2020, The Institute for Women’s Policy Research highlighted Cleveland as the fifth worst city for Black women in the United States, ranking last in overall outcomes and educational achievements among cities with 100,000 or more women. Shockingly high infant mortality rates persist in Cleveland and Cuyahoga County, with Black babies facing a five-fold higher risk of mortality before their first birthday in Cleveland and a three times higher risk in Cuyahoga County compared to their white counterparts.
Langford explained, ”We are the first and only Black-founded, Black-run, Black healthcare center, operating with the unapologetic message of being Black-founded, Black-led, and serving Black individuals. We believe that everything to decrease disparities and improve outcomes in the Black community can be found and utilized within the Black community.”
This bold approach extends beyond rhetoric. It’s at the very heart of the center’s operations, fostering an environment where patients, often for the first time, feel seen, heard, and understood.
“I’m very funny about using the word professional. For me, that term is white-coded, so we always question whose standards define professionalism. We come to work as ourselves, wearing things like my ’Down, the way girl’ earrings and baseball cap, yet we’re professionals getting the job done,” Langford said.
“Our patients are used to encountering providers in white coats, dress clothes, and heels. With us, they see someone who looks like their neighbor or someone from their local grocery store. This makes them feel comfortable opening up and truly sharing what’s going on.”
Village of Healing’s origins can be traced back to Langford and Gaines’s experiences within traditional healthcare settings, where they often felt marginalized and overlooked. Langford’s decision to pursue a career as a nurse midwife stemmed from her desire to provide care in spaces where Black individuals could see themselves reflected in their healthcare providers.
Gaines and Langford served on community committees surrounding maternal mortality. Despite their combined healthcare expertise and insights as Black women in the field, they often found themselves marginalized in rooms dominated by voices that did not reflect their experiences. “Discussions always veered away from acknowledging systemic racism and instead turned into victim-blaming narratives,” Langford said.
In 2022, Langford and Gaines launched The Village of Healing Center, a dedicated facility providing culturally sensitive healthcare for Black women. The center embodies Langford and Gaines’ vision for a cultural hub in Cuyahoga County. The halls are decorated by local black artists with quotes by prominent figures such as Angela Davis, James Baldwin, and Nina Simone. “We hire folks from the community. We get to be that resource space for the patients that need it, helping people with food and transportation, connecting them with other resources, jobs, and things like that. A lot of times, my patients come in the door when they don’t have an appointment just to talk. It’s not just a medical facility. We get the privilege to be a safe space and a hub for our community,” Langford said.
Village of Healing’s nontraditional approach to healthcare has earned them a $1.5 million operating budget, but even as the organization expands, its financial challenges have become greater. “When you walk into a room full of white faces, and you’re leading the conversation with black, there’s an instant fence that comes down. Our biggest challenge right now is philanthropy,” Langford said.
The National Center for Responsive Philanthropy found that funding for Black communities specifically, represented 2.1% of overall giving from community foundations, 12% of all charitable giving, and 5.4% of independent foundation giving in 2020.
Village of Healing was founded at a time when race was a big issue for many Americans and more people than ever were intentionally donating to black causes. Village of Healing was fortunate to get an influx of money, only to see that benevolence gradually diminish over time.
To overcome the racial disparity in charitable contributions, Langford and her team had to go the extra mile to prove to investors that Village of Healing had an airtight business plan. They found the support and expertise they needed through the Women’s Business Center of Northern Ohio.
“ECDI helped us out tremendously in the very beginning. Number one, they have a space for women to be able to get help. The biggest thing they helped us with was our business plan. When we tried to do business plans with other organizations, they just gave us a template and were like, ‘Go.’ Diego from the WBC walked us through a business plan like newborn babies. I don’t think Village of Healing would be the same without Diego. So the WBC has been amazing,” Langford said.
“ECDI helped us out tremendously in the very beginning. The biggest thing they helped us with was our business plan."
Looking ahead, Langford envisions a future where Village of Healing’s impact transcends geographical boundaries. She wants Village of Healing to serve as a beacon of hope for Black communities nationwide.
As she put it, “White doctors and nurses don’t always see their grandmothers or aunts when they’re treating black women. I do. On the other side of that, when patients see me walk into the room, they see their niece, their cousin, their sister, and I love that. This is the hardest thing I’ve done — but I get to come to work and live my passion every day, all day. This is the first time ever I felt free.”
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