Session Description: By providing continuous support throughout pregnancy, doulas can contribute to improved maternal and infant outcomes and experiences by reducing stress, anxiety, and pain, and promoting self-efficacy and confidence. Despite these benefits, less than 10 percent of U.S. births per year involved doula services. Low utilization of doula services are attributable to high out-of-pocket costs, limited numbers of practicing doulas, variation in training requirements, and a lack of awareness of the profession. Doula care in the U.S. is currently largely limited to middle- and high-income women who can afford to pay for such services out-of-pocket, who are disproportionately White, and doulas serving these women tend to be of the same race and socioeconomic class.
To improve access to these crucial services, the Association of Clinicians for the Underserved (ACU) developed a pilot program to assist health centers across the country with developing their own in-house doula training programs. Throughout the pilot program, 8 health centers developed a business case, assessed current and future needs, and created plans for implementing and sustaining a program.
In this educational session, ACU and CHC presenters will discuss the impact that doula services have on maternal health outcomes, share barriers and solutions to developing a sustainable doula program, walk attendees through the necessary steps to develop their own in-house training program, and assess their program’s readiness to launch. Presenters will also share lessons learned and best practices from CHCs that participated in the pilot program.
Learning Objectives:
Understand the role doulas play in improving maternal health outcomes
List key steps to developing an in-house doula training program
Develop an elevator pitch to communicate the need for developing an in-house doula training program
