Dr. Camesha Carter describes herself as someone who loves data and who is typically a behind-the-scenes person. She’s also someone who takes stock of her personal experiences to find ways to help others. Through her organization – Camesha Carter Enterprises – which is a grantee of FLOURISH’s Community Mobilization and Innovation Fund, Camesha is supporting Black mothers by increasing access to mental health services and promoting safe sleep practices.
Camesha has a doctorate in Education Administration, is an educator in the Ferguson-Florissant School District, and is currently pursuing a degree in counseling. Her goal is to support families who have experienced the unique grief of pregnancy and infant loss. After experiencing several miscarriages, Camesha had her second child, Tre, many years after her first son, Patrick. “I had a lot of friends who were post-partum nurses and healthcare workers who would tell me: ‘Camesha, you can’t sleep with Tre.’” Her first reaction was surprise, but as she learned more about Sudden Unexplained Infant Death, her interest grew. She was struck by how many parents she encountered through Tre’s childcare center didn’t have the information she had about infant care and safe sleep. From her personal experience, Camesha understands the barriers that prevent parents from practicing the ABCs of Safe Sleep (consistently placing a baby Alone, on their Back, in a Crib). She explained that after having waited so long to have Tre, she felt she needed to co-sleep with him.
Through her organization, Camesha is focused on helping transient moms learn about safe sleep and aims to make mental health counseling more accessible to the Black community. One unique aspect of her program is providing Amazon fire tablets to parents who complete the program. This has helped parents access other critical services during the pandemic, like telehealth appointments or government benefit programs. But this hasn’t been without challenges, as some families find they can’t maintain the tablets over the long term. Always a data-oriented person, Camesha is currently in problem-solving mode as she thinks about what’s next for her program. We are excited to continue connecting with Dr. Carter through the growing FLOURISH Network!