Ttawaxt Birth Justice Center – Yakima, WA

Location: Yakima Valley, WA

Status: Site purchased, entitlements underway, fundraising stage

Project Size: 12,000 SF

Use: Birthing

Challenge

An Indigenous-led, community-based provider serving a high-need population is working to expand access to culturally grounded care in a designated maternal health desert. The recent closure of a nearby hospital’s labor and delivery department has intensified access gaps, forcing families to travel long distances for care. While demand continues to grow, the organization lacks adequate space and internal capacity to advance a development that fully reflects Indigenous values, traditions, and models of care.

Solution

With a site already secured, High Point serves as developer of the concept plan and project manager through implementation, advancing a 100% grant-funded model. The approach integrates culturally responsive design, Indigenous community priorities, and a coordinated capital strategy, leveraging High Point’s grant engine and delivery expertise to deliver a fully funded, community-centered maternal health facility.

Impact

Restores access to maternal care in a designated maternity care desert across the Yakima Valley, home to over 250,000 residents, including a significant Native population within the Yakama Nation where families currently travel 30–75 miles for delivery. In a region where Native women face 2–3x higher rates of maternal complications and infant mortality, and maternal-related deaths are 8.7x higher, this model directly addresses severe disparities while improving access, trust, and outcomes.