TOLEDO – An inviting, bright red door welcomes you at 4231 Monroe St. in Toledo, waiting to be entered by community members looking for a new kind of care.
Erin Marten, certified nurse midwife of Solace Health, has been devoted to helping people since she started her career.
“I had an opportunity to just take really, really good care of people in the way that I want to, and I’ve been doing this long enough that a friend of mine was like, ‘Why don’t you start your own practice?’ And I was like, ‘No, why? I couldn’t do that,’” Marten said.
Solace Health opened in August of this year and offers services ranging from gynecological care, fertility support, menopause and hormone therapy, wellness counseling, pap smears and vaginal infection treatments.
Marten said she went to nursing school with the goal of becoming a midwife and eventually getting her own space.
She began her career as a nurse, then became a certified midwife in 2014.
“I have a public health degree in maternal and child health; sexual reproductive health is just kind of my life. It’s everything I do,” Marten said.
She explained that having a medical background helps her recognize the inequities in the healthcare system.
Marten also started Solace Menstrual Justice, which helps with reproductive justice and women’s health, educating people about menstruation.
Through this program, women are able to get packs full of 10 pads, 10 tampons, hand sanitizer, and wipes.
“What we started doing was collecting supplies from people [and] local businesses,” Marten said.
One of Marten’s initiatives, Seeking Solace Birthwork Justice Program, provides patients with a variety of different resources.
“We offer scholarships for people who want to be either a doula or a midwife, and we prioritize single parents, Black women, queer women, and we give out two of those scholarships twice a year,” Marten said.
Through the nonprofit Solace Health and Wellness, Marten also leads free childbirth classes once a month.
“When my patients come in, I can spend as much time as I want and take the time to get to know them and give them the care that they really deserve,” Marten said.
She said she strives to make sure each patient visit is 45 minutes to an hour long to make sure each person gets enough time and support.
“I really take the time to get to know my patients and not just talk about physical issues that they are there for that day, but also mental health because it all makes a difference,” Marten explained.
Marten said she is committed to restoring the idea that your healthcare providers do care about you and are listening.
“This is really my opportunity to show people what gynecological care can be, and that there are providers who do want to listen to you and who do want to take the time to give you the care that you deserve,” Marten said.
To learn more, visit solacehealth419.com or call 419-308-6977.
