PARTNER SPOTLIGHT
Toni Tipton: Surrounding Women with Love
At bi3, we are committed to advancing health equity by investing in people and ideas that have the power to transform health. We are fortunate to collaborate with visionary partners who work every day to improve our community’s health. Their passion, creativity, and leadership bring to life bi3’s belief that when we invest in people closest to the problem, we unlock the most powerful solutions.
Toni Tipton is a Board-Certified Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner, Certified Nurse Midwife, and co-founder of Uzima Rejuvenation Station. Through the Black Midwives: Champions for Maternal Health Initiative, Toni and her team are enhancing care for Black expectant parents and their babies in Butler County. Supported by bi3 through a $400,000 three-year grant, the initiative provides culturally competent childbirth education, breastfeeding support, and education on the social determinants of health, all aimed at reducing infant mortality and improving maternal health in Black communities.
What led to your career in supporting women in their health?
I was one of the first in my family to attend college, and so many people supported me along the way that I knew I wanted to give back. I hold a bachelor’s degree in chemistry, an associate degree in nursing, and a dual master’s degree. I’ve now spent 16 years in healthcare, including critical care nursing in the ICU and the Emergency Department.
My path into midwifery came from my own experience as a mother of five. When I had the opportunity to be cared for by a midwife, I saw how deeply personal, compassionate, and empowering that care could be. It made me want to create that same experience for other women, especially Black women, who too often face barriers to the care they deserve.
What continues to drive your passion?
Black women continue to face enormous disparities in care when giving birth. I see firsthand how bias, systemic inequities, and lack of representation can affect health outcomes. Despite many patients having access to childbirth education, many programs often lack cultural competence, which leads to poorer outcomes for Black moms and their babies. But I also see how quickly things can change when women are cared for by people who look like them and understand their lived experiences.
Representation builds trust and connection. It helps women feel seen and heard. When that happens, women are more likely to stay pregnant longer, deliver babies at healthy birth weights, and feel empowered in their care. Having more Black midwives available to serve pregnant women restores confidence and gives women back control of their health and their bodies.
What other impacts have you seen when we give women the support they need?
I believe that health begins with love for yourself, your body, your baby, and your community. When we support women in the ways they tell us they need, we give them the space to focus on themselves and strengthen that love in their lives.
When women can love themselves, they can love their babies. And when mothers thrive, families and communities thrive too. That belief guides everything I do at Uzima Rejuvenation Station.
What impact do you see your work having on the future?
Through the Black Midwives: Champions for Maternal Health Initiative, we are not only improving outcomes for mothers and babies, but we are also changing systems. By centering culture, compassion, and advocacy, we’re helping ensure that every woman in Butler County has access to care that honors her voice, her story, and her strength.
