New Report Details Critical Doula and Perinatal Findings from National Learning Series
Last month, our partners at Every Mother Counts (EMC) and the Institute for Medicaid Innovation (IMI) released a report detailing the findings from a recent CHAP-funded learning series focused on developing Medicaid benefits for doulas and perinatal community health workers (CHWs). The free program, geared towards Medicaid stakeholders across the country, included an interactive, web-based curriculum and opportunities to engage with experts in all aspects of community-based doula and perinatal CHW care.
Using lessons from the eight-month series, which served over 1,000 registrants, the new report aims to support the creation and strengthening of pathways for Medicaid agencies and health plans, provider groups, and professional associations to expand access to quality, respectful, and equitable maternity care.
Key themes and takeaways are organized in groups—Partnerships Between Payers, Clinical Providers, and Community-Based Perinatal Support Workers; Administrative and Operational Supports; Training and Certification; and Workforce Development and Retention—providing a high-level roadmap for program development and implementation.
“We’re deeply inspired by the care our partners at Every Mother Counts and the Institute for Medication Innovation brought to this learning series and look forward to seeing the ways in which colleagues nationwide apply this new report’s findings,” said CHAP Co-Director, Wendy Berry McWeeny.
Research shows that community-based perinatal support services provided by doulas and perinatal CHWs constitute a high-value health care practice. These models of care improve perinatal health outcomes and satisfaction with one’s birth experience, while also being cost-effective.
Read the full report here, and watch recordings of the complete series below. To learn more about our work with the Institute for Medicaid Innovation and Every Mother Counts, contact us here.
About the Partners
The Institute for Medicaid Innovation (IMI) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit, nonpartisan research, policy, and community power building organization that provides independent, nonpartisan information and analysis to inform Medicaid policy and improve the health of the nation.
Since 2010, Every Mother Counts has sought to make pregnancy and childbirth safe, respectful, and equitable for everyone, everywhere. Motivated by the belief that maternal health is a human right, we advance evidence-based strategies to address the global maternal health crisis and improve maternal health outcomes and the experience of care for all by raising awareness,investing in community-led solutions, and advocating for critical systems change.