Restoring Our Origins Through Education & Development

ROOTED is a 12-week reproductive wellness and behavioral health program designed to empower women and adolescents through education, healing, faith, and strategy.

This signature program is part of the MaternaCare ecosystem and reflects our mission to improve maternal-fetal health outcomes by addressing the root causes that lead to crisis pregnancy decisions.

 
A Program That Heals and Empowers

ROOTED was created by the founder of Maternacare, Sherress Hicks, MS, QMHP, CSPO, HCM, a former behavioral health professional and maternal health advocate.
Drawing from her clinical experience, agile methodology and her passion for maternal-fetal wellness, Sherress designed ROOTED to be a safe, trauma-informed space where women can understand their bodies, process their stories, and create powerful pathways forward.

 

This program blends:

 

🩺 Body Literacy through Western and Traditional Chinese Medicine principles

🧠 Behavioral & Emotional Healing to address stress, fear, and trauma

🗣️ Uses the ACTT (Ask, Claim, Trust, Tell) framework

🌀 Agile Strategy to help women build flexible, practical pregnancy and life plans

✝️ Faith-Based Empowerment 
 

How the Program Works

ROOTED is a 12-week, facilitator-led program created for women and adolescents in Missouri, with a vision to expand across the Midwest and ultimately reach communities nationwide.

Each week focuses on education, guided dialogue, and practical tools to support:

• Understanding reproductive health and fertility
• Breaking generational cycles of trauma and silence
• Building community and faith-based support
• Creating agile strategies for pregnancy and beyond

The program concludes with a personalized pregnancy and life plan designed to strengthen each participant’s ability to make informed, life-affirming decisions.

 
 Why It Matters

Missouri’s pregnancy-related mortality ratio is 32.3 deaths per 100,000 live births, with approximately 70 women dying each year during pregnancy or within the first year postpartum. Mental health is now the leading underlying cause of these deaths. ROOTED addresses these issues upstream—through prevention, education, emotional healing, and community connection.

This program aligns with the state’s goals to reduce abortion, improve maternal-fetal health outcomes, and expand access to culturally responsive care.

 
🤝 Who We Serve

• Women and adolescents navigating pregnancy decisions
• Underserved and rural communities
• Faith-based and community organizations seeking maternal health programming
• State and local partners looking to expand early intervention and prevention services

 
🌟 Our Vision

ROOTED is more than a class — it’s a movement to re-center maternal health around education, empowerment, and holistic support.

When women are informed, supported, and equipped to plan with confidence, they thrive — and so do their families and communities.