CHARLOTTE — A Black women-owned medical practice is taking a new approach to women’s health in Charlotte.
Femwell Gynecology and Wellness is helping women tackle a wide range of issues from, weight management to mental health support, and empowering women to embrace their changing bodies.
Doctors Ebony Parson and Tiffany Bates were practicing obstetrics and gynecology for hospital systems in Charlotte when they saw what they called a gap in women’s healthcare.
“We need to slow down; patients do not feel heard,” Parson told Channel 9’s Deneige Broom. “Perimenopause, post partum care, preconception counseling, infertility, these are things that impact every woman, and we’re able to provide comprehensive care.”
In 2025, they opened a practice of their own focused on the whole woman.
“We are still doing full scope gynecologic care, but we also wanted to bring some services under our roof that I think patients have had an issue getting access to, such as mental health services,” Bates said.
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Opening their own practice is Black history in its own right. The Association of American Medical Colleges says less than 6% of doctors in the U.S. are black, and less than 3% are Black women. Femwell serves all women, but these two say being part of a marginalized community makes them even better doctors.
“I think any woman who feels like she’s not been heard, we know what that feels like as Black women, but I think that a lot of women, all races, all women, have felt that, and I think that is where we resonate with women,” Parson said.
They hope to provide a solution to poor maternal mortality rates, especially in Black women. The latest numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show the number of women dying from pregnancy complications dropped in 2023, but for Black mothers, it rose and is still three times the rate of other demographics.
“A lot of the outcomes are predetermined at the point that you have the positive pregnancy test,” Parson said. “I think if we could actually develop these relationships with these women prior to pregnancy and actually improve their health, we could actually improve the health outcomes during the pregnancy.”
Doctors say more diversity leads to better outcomes. Research done by the Association of American Medical Colleges shows Black residents in counties with more Black doctors live longer.
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