September 2025
Moort Boodjari Mia (MBM), meaning Family Pregnancy House in Noongar language, is a perinatal care service for Aboriginal women based at St John of God Midland Public and Private Hospitals.
Designed to support women through pregnancy, birth and beyond, MBM provides holistic maternity care that honours cultural values, strengthens families, and promotes the health of mothers and babies.
Recognising the importance of care that respects identity and tradition, MBM offers education, care coordination and ongoing support to help families feel confident and informed throughout their parenting journey.
Thanks to the extraordinary philanthropic support of Channel 7 Telethon Trust, Stan Perron Charitable Foundation, Wen Giving Foundation and Jon & Caro Stewart Family Foundation, MBM has taken its next transformative step: readying to launch an innovative outreach service that delivers antenatal and postnatal care via a fully equipped mobile clinical van.
This first-of-its-kind mobile outreach program is a milestone for Western Australia. It will bring essential midwifery care directly into the communities where it is needed most — removing barriers such as transport, hospital hesitancy and long travel distances.
For many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families in rural and remote areas, these challenges can mean the difference between timely maternity care and delays that impact outcomes. Now, expert, culturally safe support will be delivered where families feel most comfortable — in their own communities.
The van will be fitted with diagnostic tools, enabling on-the-spot health assessments and midwifery care in familiar community spaces such as playgroups, schools, Aboriginal health centres and local events.
As the first Aboriginal maternity program in WA to deliver clinical outreach via a mobile service, MBM is leading the way in innovation and accessibility — a powerful example of what is possible when philanthropic vision meets community need.
“This funding has had a transformative impact on the families using the Moort Boodjari Mia service by providing enhanced support, access and resources tailored to their unique needs,” MBM Midwife Jodee Hollingsworth said.
With this new outreach model, MBM is driving progress towards a national goal: by 2031, 91 per cent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander babies will be born at a healthy birth weight. The MBM clinical van brings us closer to that goal — ensuring that no matter where a family lives, safe, compassionate and culturally appropriate care is within reach.