This brief highlights state efforts to recruit, support, and retain community-based doulas to expand access to maternal care services.

Background

Community-based doulas provide informational, physical, and emotional support to individuals during and following pregnancy, and their care is associated with positive birth and parenting outcomes. Shortages of doulas and related burnout are resulting in high turnover and limited access to doula care. This brief summarizes state-led investments to support this workforce and includes examples of promising practices related to professional development, financial support for training, and other areas.

About this Resource

This brief can support state agency staff and policymakers in supporting community-based doulas. The narrative includes four state-funded policies and programs: doula collaboratives and hubs; coordinated training and loan repayment programs; doula-friendly hospital policies; and incorporating doula voice before and during periods of policy implementation. Each approach includes multiple state examples and links to external sources for more information. The brief also highlights recruitment and retention challenges and discusses how states can use their financial and programmatic resources to sustain the workforce using Medicaid and other funding.

Program/Policy Takeaways

Investing in a sustainable doula workforce is one way for states to support a comprehensive maternal health workforce. State agency staff and policymakers can use this brief to understand other state innovations focused on retaining, developing, and reducing administrative burden for new and practicing doulas.