Village Care Doula Program

Neighborhood Health Association’s Village Care Doula Program is the first program of its kind in the area.

All pregnant patients at NHA will receive the benefit of a Doula throughout their entire pregnancy, labor, and delivery, and postpartum.

PROGRAM SPECIFICS:

Through their relationship with the Doulas, NHA patients will have access to:

• One-on-one communication about their pregnancy and health throughout their childbearing year.
• Access to up-to-date education about childbirth, postpartum, parenting, and infant feeding.
• Opportunities to connect with a community of other women and parents who share their experiences.
• Connections to assistance programs throughout NHA and the city.

Birth Doulas help to build relationships with expecting families to help them have a positive birth experience. Birth Doulas help facilitate conversations between the birthing person and their care provider, provide non-judgmental support for their birth choices, and support the family throughout the entire pregnancy.

USEFUL RESOURCES: FROM THE COMMONWEALTH FUND; Issue Brief; March 4, 2021:

“Evidence of Effectiveness: Doulas can improve perinatal and postpartum outcomes while being cost-effective, particularly for those facing inequities in birth outcomes. For example, those at high risk for adverse birth outcomes receiving care from doulas, compared with those not receiving care from doulas, are:

• Two times less likely to experience a birth complication.
• Four times less likely to have a low birth weight baby.
• More likely to breastfeed.
• More likely to be satisfied with their care.

Capacity to Advance Equity: The evidence suggests doulas are beneficial particularly for women of color, low-income women, and other marginalized communities. For example, a study of Medicaid beneficiaries receiving doula support found lower rates of C-sections and preterm

births, compared with other pregnant women enrolled in Medicaid. Similar findings were reported for a community-based doula program serving predominantly Black and Latinx neighborhoods in New York City. Additionally, a recent study in California found that doulas have the potential to provide a “buffer” against racism in health care for pregnant women of color by providing patient-centered, tailored, and culturally appropriate care.”

PROVIDER INFORMATION:

• No need to worry about referring patients to the program; the staff will have the capability to identify any patients with a newly confirmed pregnancy at NHA on a regular basis and we will reach out to them.
• This is not an optional program; this is part of their prenatal care.
• At this time, we are not accepting referrals from outside facilities.
• We will be working closely with Moms and Babies First and WIC to coordinate services for the patients.
• The director of the program is Erin Marten, DNP MPH APRN-CNM.

Erin Marten can be contacted at 419-214-0072.