Delaware-based nonprofit Black Mothers in Power plans to open a Maternal Care Center in Wilmington by early 2026.
The organization targets racial health disparities in the First State. The Center will offer pre- and post-birth care in a one-stop shop. Organizers said the location will have dental care, doula services, therapy and more.
BMIP founder and Wilmington City Councilmember Shané Darby said she wants to serve people where they’re at.
“When I think about the city of Wilmington, the majority of people don't have cars, right?” Darby said. “So I think having this in the city of Wilmington specifically provides that care for the whole city that is needed, and it's accessible to get to. And it's right off of the bus line, too.”
Darby said BMIP’s services will be accessible to folks who might not have access to health care, whether they have health insurance or not.
The new facility will house all of BMIP’s services on top of offering pre- and post-birth care to new parents. BMIP has a community fridge set up at its current location on N. Washington Street and is an approved Perinatal Safe Spot by the National Perinatal Task Force.
It also hosts mentorship programs and professional services.
The Center’s project director Kristin Bainger said the ultimate goal is to bring a birthing center to Wilmington, but that will come down the road.
“So what we have embraced on the design and build side is a space that is not like any other medical space,” Bainger said. “A space that is comfortable, a space that is warm, that offers people a safe, caring, holistic place to be. There'll be no white coat syndrome when you come to the maternal care center for Black Mothers in Power.”
Bainger’s role is to design the Center’s layout and get it up on its feet. The Center will eventually host doulas who will be able to use rooms to work and meet with patients.
“We're building this space in order to incorporate all those things,” Bainger said. “Like, we already have a therapist who'll be renting one of the spaces, leasing one of the spaces from us. So we have a lactation room. We all have a dentist who will visit monthly or bimonthly, and work with people.
Darby added the Center will break barriers by bringing Delawareans accessible, culturally competent providers.
“I think that is where care changes for people, right?” Darby said. “When you're able to say, ‘how am I intentional in providing care for someone?’ So I think that is why cultural competence is important, especially for providers when they're interacting with people, so that they feel like they can return for care. They feel like they were heard when they walked out that room.”
A March 2025 report found 8.7% of Delaware adults ages 18-64 did not have health insurance in 2022. That’s about 48 thousand people.
And that percentage rose when looking at Latino residents. 36.2% of Latino Delawareans didn’t have any form of health care coverage or health insurance, according to the DHSS report. The same report did not report the percentage of Black and African American people without health insurance due to a small cell size.
Darby said she lets intersectionality act as a framework in her plans. Intersectionality is a concept that oppression is linked, layered and made more complex by peoples’ different identities, according to Womankind Worldwide.
“So the thought of, ‘I am a pregnant person, but I'm dealing with [I] don't have stable housing, I don't have food, I'm in a domestic violence situation, or I might have substance use issues, right?” Darby explained. “So we have to be able to meet those needs too, to even address maternal care needs.”
Having BMIP’s services under the same roof as the Maternal Care Center will allow providers to more comprehensively attend to their patients’ needs, according to Darby.
The Maternal Care Center will be housed in an old fire house at 2501 N. Market Street in Wilmington. And while the space is nearing its opening, Bainger stressed that there’s plenty of work to be done yet.
“This is a really aggressive project,” Bainger said. “And we've taken it on knowing that this is what Shané and BMIP made as a promise to the community. But it's a project that costs money, so first and foremost, after partners and after community relations, we need funding, and we need help in that realm always. And we'll continue to as we grow.”
Information on the organization and how to partner with or donate to BMIP can be found at their website.
