Often the support we provide as birthworkers is only part of the picture. Most of the time our clients need support from the healthcare system, not just from their designated support person. In this episode, Ari Stoeffler (they/them) shares three short stories about the ways they've provided individual support and systemic support in abortion care, and in gender affirming hormone therapy. Episode transcript available at DoulaStories.com

Resources that Ari recommends are the following: for those in the local Boston area, you can learn more about the Boston Abortion Support Collective at bostonabortionsupportcollective.org

For abortion-related resources, Ari recommends the National Network of Abortion Funds (abortionfunds.org), the National Abortion Federation (prochoice.org), and Planned Parenthood (plannedparenthood.org). 

You cannect with Ari on facebook at facebook.com/ari.stoeffler (their name will show up as Arami Tessa).

You can follow the Doula Stories podcast on Facebook or Instagram @DoulaStories or learn more at DoulaStories.com

ID: Ari is smiling outdoors with a flower tucked behind their ear. Overlayed on the photo are captions for the audio: "Ari: People were able to come in and get the care that they needed in a way that was more proactive. The intention of what we created was to make sure that we recognized the gap in care and addressed it in a way that both allowed the patient to be seen by the people that they needed to be seen by, but also did not negatively impact every other patient. And I think that's really where the system stuff gets hard, is like: how do you do this sustainably so that every person who needs to be seen can be seen without taking away resources? And so that was the challenge, was figuring out how to add a resource, and support patients, and also make sure that the clinic was being supported as well. Keelia: Right."