Our Team

Darline Turner, Executive Director

Darline Turner is a physician assistant by training, and has been a full spectrum doula for over 15 years, initially specializing in supporting high-risk mothers via her private practice Mamas on Bedrest & Beyond. In 2017, Darline founded and established Healing Hands Community Doula Project, now the Healing Hands Community Birthing Project, an organization dedicated to empowering childbearing families and the people who care for them. At her heart, Darline seeks to radically transform maternity care to a client centered, deeply personal and empowering experience.

Darline is mom to 2 college students of whom she is extremely proud, and one geriatric “furbaby” CJ who is her constant companion and support. When she’s not working in the community, she enjoys cheering on her kids on in their professional pursuits, walking with CJ, cycling, Inyengar Yoga, and cooking to cool Jazz and R&B.

Melissa Harner, PCHW Instructor

Melissa Harner is the principle PCHW Instructor and Trainer for Healing Hands Birthing Community. Melissa earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Community Health Education from Southern New Hampshire University and is currently working on her master’s degree for Clinical Mental Health Practitioner.

Prior to joining Healing Hands, Melissa taught Health Sciences at multiple high schools in Austin Independent School District (AISD). Melissa is a Pharmacy Technician, and has worked in both community and hospital pharmacies. Melissa earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Community Health Education from Southern New Hampshire University and is currently working on her master’s degree for Clinical Mental Health Practitioner.

Lucretia Anderson, Houston Program Manager

LuCretia has been actively working as a doula since 2018! “I love birth work and it has truly bought such joy and purpose to my life!” Her passion has always been to empower women of color and help them reach their highest goals. In 2020 LuCretia transitioned from hospital births to home births and started working directly with midwives and birth centers. While most were at home due to COVID, LuCretia found herself going into homes to assist in the births. In 2022, she begin working with Healing Hands to be able to continue to educate childbearing women of color about pregnancy, labor and delivery. She’s also passionate about teaching other women of color how best to serve and support them.  Since then she has continued to work diligently with the community to bring HHCBP to Houston and the community that needs them most. 

Tiffany Furr, PCHW & Data Manager

Tiffany is a community-focused and sustainability-minded individual with over 15 years of experience working in nonprofit management and the public sector. She naturally gravitated to birthwork as a way to actively participate in the communal practice of caring for Black women while also engaging in advocacy to further reproductive justice for Black women. Tiffany is the proud mother of two amazing children who she breastfed for 2 years and delivered unmedicated. She works for Healing Hands as a doula as well as a member of their management team.

Eva Roberts, PCHW

Eva Roberts has been a Community Health Worker for over 10 years. She began her public health career working with Austin Public Health’s Maternal Infant Outreach Program (MIOP). Eva is a champion public health advocate, and is an expert helping black women navigate the healthcare system, and helping them to obtain the community and health resources that they need to have healthy pregnancies and healthy babies. Eva also has over 10 years of experience providing direct labor and birth support, peer breastfeeding support and parenting and life skills support to the black childbearing women she serves.

Eva is multi-lingual. Her mother is from Monterey, Mexico. Her father is Chinese and Puerto Rican. Eva is a mother of 5 children, all who were preemies, and a grandmother to 11 grandchildren.

 

Alicia Rivera Clemente, PCHW

Alicia Rivera Clemente is a dedicated and compassionate birth worker with a deep passion for supporting families through every stage of the childbirth journey. A breastfeeding mother of one, Alicia brings a wealth of experience and empathy to her work, offering both prenatal and postpartum care as a full-spectrum doula. She is committed to serving Black and Brown families of all sizes, advocating for their unique needs and empowering them with information to make informed choices throughout pregnancy, labor, and beyond.With a broad range of experience in hospital and home births, Alicia is skilled in supporting both medicated and unmedicated births, vaginal and cesarean deliveries. She specializes in natural laboring practices and prenatal yoga, helping expectant families prepare for birth with strength, flexibility, and calm. Additionally, Alicia offers placenta encapsulation services, supporting postpartum recovery with a holistic approach. She is committed to creating a safe, supportive environment where each family's birth experience is honored and celebrated.