CNN has included Theater alum Myla Flores (BA’09) in its 2025 “Champions for Change” cohort.
Flores, who also majored in psychology while at Rutgers, is the founder of The Birthing Place in The Bronx, NY, an organization of BIPOC doulas, midwives, and maternal health professionals working to improve maternal care in marginalized communities. The National Institutes for Health (NIH) reports that The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found “Black women are at least three times more likely to die due to a pregnancy-related cause when compared to White women.”
“People didn’t have access to the care they wanted,” Flores, president of the New York State Birth Center Association, told CNN reporter Abby Phillip. Offering culturally responsive maternal care “really helps them feel seen and heard and connected.”
The “Champions for Change” programming, which was featured on air and across CNN’s digital platforms in September, highlighted people across the nation who have worked to make meaningful change in their communities. On September 13, CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta celebrated the cohort, including Flores, in an hour-long special.
“All people deserve access to this kind of care,” Flores said.
Watch Abby Phillip’s “Champions for Change” spotlight on Myla Flores.