About Worcester Community Midwifery
Our Mission Statement
We believe that every birth is a deeply personal journey—one that deserves individualized, respectful, and compassionate care. Our mission is to provide a safe and inclusive space where families feel empowered, supported, and in control of their birth experience.
As we build Worcester’s first independent birth center, we are committed to serving individuals and families of all backgrounds, ensuring that our care is culturally competent, sensitive to diverse lived experiences, and rooted in deep respect for each person’s unique path to parenthood. We are honored to welcome and care for people of all ages, abilities, ethnicities, origins, spoken languages, neurodiversities, religious affiliations, gender identities, sexual orientations, and family structures. Our mission and commitment to equity and inclusion is woven into every aspect of our care, ensuring that all families feel safe, seen, and valued.
Practicing midwifery is more than a profession—it’s a calling to support our neighbors, to walk alongside them in moments of transformation, and to witness them step into their power as individuals and parents. Because small moments of care and connection don’t just shape births—they create ripples that flow through generations.
Birth Center Vision Statement
For years, Worcester families have had limited access to freestanding birth centers, a model of care that offers a safe, evidence-based option for those with low-risk pregnancies. Birth centers provide expert midwifery care in a home-like environment, combining clinical excellence with personalized support. By establishing Worcester’s first independent birth center, we are expanding maternity care options and increasing access to high-quality, family-centered care.
This center will serve as more than just a birthplace—it will be a resource for education, preventative care, and long-term maternal health support. Research shows that birth centers improve outcomes, reducing the need for medical interventions while fostering stronger parent-infant bonds. By integrating a holistic approach with clinical expertise, we will create a sustainable model for family-centered care that strengthens the well-being of Worcester’s growing population.
The impact of this birth center will extend far beyond the families who give birth here. A healthier start to life leads to stronger, more resilient communities. By investing in this model of care, we are investing in Worcester’s future—one where families have the support, autonomy, and high-quality care they need to thrive.
Meet the Team
Rachel Blessington, CNM
MIDWIFE, FOUNDER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Rachel is a mother, midwife and massage therapist, born in Worcester and raised in New England and New York. She earned Bachelor’s degrees in Biology and Nursing while seeking the best fitting healthcare role in which to combine her passions for art and science to serve her community. After many years of perinatal massage therapy practice, she entered birthwork as a doula and home birth midwife, earning her Certified Professional Midwife credential via apprenticeship while also working as a maternity nurse in a community hospital. With a desire to expand access to community birth as well as access to high-quality, healthy training for midwives, Rachel returned to school to earn her Master’s degree in Nurse Midwifery to become a Certified Nurse Midwife, in order to expand her scope as well as be able to develop a community birth center in Central Massachusetts. Rachel likes to incorporate hands-on support in her holistic practice style, engaging in relationship-based care to offer education and empowerment for her clients.
Jo Elle Moody
NURSE, CHILDBIRTH EDUCATOR, LACTATION COACH, AND BIRTH CENTER DEVELOPER
This proud Worcesterite via Grafton Hill grew up in a double-decker with her mother (a former teacher), father (retired firefighter), and older sister. Jo Elle earned her bachelor’s in nursing locally and has worked in various healthcare settings in Worcester. Currently, Jo Elle is a Labor and Delivery Nurse at UMASS Memorial Hospital. A loving caretaker from an early age, Jo Elle has continued to further her education in maternal health. She is a Certified Lactation Coach (CLC), DONA-trained Doula, and certified Childbirth Educator, and is enrolled in Frontier Nursing University’s Certified Nurse Midwifery Program. Jo Elle is currently sharing her talents, education, and earned wisdom with the WCM team in developing Worcester Community Birth Center.
Jo Elle is also a member of Worcester’s NAACP chapter, The Black Heritage Committee, and a member of the Quinsigamond and Hassanamisco Bands of the Nipmuc Nation. One of her passions is working with The College of Holy Cross to preserve and promote the education of local indigenous history.
Of all her titles, “Mom” is the one Jo Elle is most proud of. She currently resides in Auburn with her family. Jo Elle excitedly describes her days as filled with the “joyous chaos” of raising her three sons (ages 13, 7, and 3) and their pets (an Airedale Terrier, Ball Python, and Bearded Dragon).
Catch her if you can.
Michelle Letendre
NNP, IBCLC. PRACTITIONER
Michelle is a board certified Neonatal Nurse Practitioner and International Board Certified Lactation Consultant with 30 years of experience and is passionate about the parent and toddler/infant dyad. Michelle has earned both a Bachelor’s and Master’s of Nursing and has worked at a variety of hospitals in NY, MA, and CT. Her experience as a NICU nurse inspired her to seek additional certification in Lactation support. Michelle uses traditional and complementary therapeutic approaches to help clients achieve their goals and optimal health. In addition to lactation and primary care of the child under 25 months of age, her professional interests include tongue tie, infant food allergies and maternal elimination diets, care of the NICU graduate, and the Tummy Time! Method™. Michelle and her husband are parents of two teenage children; in her spare time she enjoys reading, browsing flea markets, exploring New England, and spending time with her beagles. We are thrilled with the addition of Michelle, as she enables clients to experience continuity of care for their child(ren) and themselves!
Mae Fuller
STUDENT MIDWIFE, DOULA. PRACTICE DEVELOPMENT.
Mae contributes to systems development and our birth center project development, incorporating her skills in public health, healthcare technology and data systems management and evaluation. We are grateful for her brilliant and creative presence on our team, and look forward to supporting her through her midwifery training journey.
