Ursula Poolaw-Ruth, RN, BSN, PHN

Ursula is the Maternal Child Health Program Manager at the Native American Community Clinic. Ursala is an enrolled member of the Saginaw Ojibwe Tribe of Michigan, and Kiowa and Cheyenne River Sioux. Her passion for birth work and maternal health began early in life, shaping her lifelong commitment to eliminating healthcare disparities affecting Native American communities. Ursula brings 10 years of labor and delivery nursing experience at the Mother Baby Center at Abbott NW Hospital. She co-led the Birth Equity Workgroup, a grassroots grant-funded initiative on her unit. Through this work, she helped develop a doula program and education initiatives addressing racism in healthcare and maternal and newborn health disparities. She also served as an organizer and lobbyist with the Minnesota Nurses Association, advocating for safe staffing and health equity.

Currently pursuing a Master of Advocacy and Political Leadership at Metropolitan State University, Ursula is committed to strengthening culturally grounded, community-based care and sustainable funding pathways that strengthen healthcare for Native families. NACC has received grant funding focused on implementing and expanding prevention services to prevent child welfare involvement and avoid out-of-home placement from MDH. This grant is managed by Ursula Poolaw-Ruth who can be reached at upoolawruth@nacc-healthcare.org